Show ContentsInman History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

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  • England
Inman Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Etymology of Inman

What does the name Inman mean?

Inman is an Anglo-Saxon name. The name was originally given to a person who tended a lodge or inn. 1 2 3

Occupational names that were derived from the common trades of the medieval era transcended European cultural and linguistic boundaries.

Early Origins of the Inman family

The surname Inman was first found in Lancashire where "Inman has existed in Furness, North Lancashire, for centuries, and still flourishes." 4

In neighbouring Yorkshire, Willelmus Indmon and Willelmus Inman were both listed in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379. 5

Early History of the Inman family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Inman research. Another 85 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1562, 1607, 1776, 1794, 1796, 1808 and 1859 are included under the topic Early Inman History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Inman Spelling Variations

One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Inman has appeared include Inman, Innman and others.

Early Notables of the Inman family

  • James Inman (1776-1859), professor of navigation and nautical science, younger son of Richard Inman of Garsdale Foot, Sedbergh, Yorkshire...
  • On the conversion of the Royal Naval Academy at Portsmouth in 1808 into the Royal Naval College, Inman was appointed professor of mathematics, and virtually principal, and here he remained for thirty...

Inman Ranking

the United States, the name Inman is the 1,352nd most popular surname with an estimated 22,383 people with that name. 6

Inman migration to the United States +

At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Inman arrived in North America very early:

Inman Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • John Inman, aged 26, who settled in Virginia in 1619 aboard the ship "Falcon"
  • Hugh Inman, who settled in Virginia in 1650
  • Hugh Inman, who arrived in Virginia in 1650 8
Inman Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Abraham Inman, who arrived in South Carolina in 1760 8
  • Abedn ego Inman, who landed in Virginia in 1765-1767 8
  • Samuel Inman and William Inman, who settled in Philadelphia in 1794
  • William Inman, who arrived in New York in 1794 8
Inman Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • J N Inman, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 8
  • H Inman, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 8

Inman migration to Canada +

Inman Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • John Inman, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1749

Inman migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia included the First Fleet of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

First Fleet
  • Mr. John Inman, (West), (1759 - 1790), aged 30, British settler convicted at Yorkshire, England in 1787, sentenced to 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the ship "Neptune" leaving in 1789 arriving in New South Wales, Australia in 1790, may have died on the ship 7
Following the First Fleet, other convicts and early settlers arriving in Australia include:

Inman Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Mark Inman, English convict who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Florentia" on 14th August 1827, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 9
  • Mr. John Inman, English convict who was convicted in London, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Canton" on 20th September 1839, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 10
  • Miss Cecilia Inman, English convict who was convicted in London, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "Emma Eugenia" on 16th November 1841, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 11
  • William Isaac Inman, English Convict from Derby, who was transported aboard the "Aboukir" on December 24, 1851, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 12

Contemporary Notables of the name Inman (post 1700) +

  • Douglas Lamar Inman (1920-2016), American Professor emeritus of Oceanography at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography
  • Peter "P" Inman (b. 1947), American poet
  • Joseph "Joe" Cooper Inman Jr. (b. 1947), American professional golfer
  • Robert Autry Inman (1929-1988), American country and rockabilly musician
  • Josh Inman (1980-2008), American bronze medalist rower at the 2008 Summer Olympics
  • Bobby Ray Inman (b. 1931), American admiral, director of Naval Intelligence (1974-1976)
  • Henry Inman (1801-1846), American portrait, genre, and landscape painter
  • James Inman (1776-1859), English mathematician, professor of mathematics at the Royal Naval College, Portsmouth
  • Henry Inman (1816-1895), English-born, Australian cavalry officer, founder and first commander of the South Australia Police
  • ... (Another 5 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
RMS Lusitania
  • Mr. John Edward Inman, American 3rd Class passenger from Park City, USA, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking 13

Suggested Readings for the name Inman +

  • Daniel Inman of Connecticut, Ontario, N.Y. and Sugar Grove, Ill. by Charles Gordon Inman.
  1. Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
  2. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  3. Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
  4. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  5. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  6. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  7. Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 4th February 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships
  8. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  9. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 5th October 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/florentia
  10. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/canton
  11. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 30th March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/emma-eugenia
  12. State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2014, November 18) Aboukir voyage to Van Diemen's Land and Norfolk Island. [These convicts appear to have all landed in Van Diemen's Land], Australia in 1851 with 280 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/aboukir/1851
  13. Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 6) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/

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