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![Show Contents]() Zelman History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 Germany
The ancestral home of the Zelman family was in the German state of Bavaria. Zelman is a local name for a person who lived in the place named Zell. This place-name can be found in several areas in Germany, but the most well known town of this name is in the region of Freiburg, which is in the Schwarzwald, or the Black Forest, just north of the Swiss border. The place-name has appeared in several countries where the Germanic people had influence. Early Origins of the Zelman familyThe surname Zelman was first found in Bavaria, where the name could be considered to make a great early contribution to the feudal society which became the backbone of early development of Europe. The name became prominent in local affairs and branched into many houses which played important roles in the savage tribal and national conflicts, each group seeking supremacy in constantly changing power relations. Chronicles first mention Ulrich Zeller of Esslingen in 1282 and Dietrich Czelleman of Muehlhausen in Saxony in 1393. The name originates in the Latin word "cella," which was taken into mediaeval German in the word "Klosterzelle." Early History of the Zelman familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Zelman research. Another 118 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1462, 1477, 1497, 1503, 1548, 1560, 1562, 1630, 1683 and 1763 are included under the topic Early Zelman History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Zelman Spelling VariationsIn the medieval era, many different cultural groups lived in the German states. There are thus many regional variations of German surnames from that era. Westphalians spoke Low German, which is similar to modern Dutch. Many German names carry suffixes that identify where they came from. Others have phrases attached that identify something about the original bearer. Other variations in German names resulted from the fact that medieval scribes worked without the aid of any spelling rules. The spelling variations of the name Zelman include Zeller, Zellers, Zell, Zelle, Zella, Zellmer, Zelleman, Zellaman, Zellemann, Zellner, Zelmer, Zelman, Zelkmann, Zellman, Zelner, Zellerman and many more. Early Notables of the Zelman familyProminent among members of the name Zelman in this period include Matthäus (Matias) Zell (1477-1548), a Lutheran theologian and reformer based in Strasbourg; and his wife Katharina Zell, née Schütz (1497-1562), a German Protestant writer during the Reformation; Ulrich Zell...
Another 40 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Zelman Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Zelman familyBetween the mid-17th and mid-20th centuries, German settlers arrived in North America by the thousands. Persecution based on religion and poverty were great motivators in this large-scale migration. So too was the opportunity for tenant farmers to own their own land. Ample land and opportunity awaited the settlers who went to such states as Pennsylvania, Texas, New York, Illinois, and California, as well as Ontario and the prairie provinces of Canada. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Zelman or a variant listed above: Bacshe Zeller, who came with his wife Verena Schaublin and their three children to Carolina in 1749; Heinrich Zeller came to Philadelphia in 1738; Peter Zell came to Philadelphia County in 1734.
| Contemporary Notables of the name Zelman (post 1700) | + |
- Martha Kregman Zelman, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate in primary for Borough President of Queens, New York, 1969 1
- Benjamin M. Zelman, American politician, Representative from New York 9th District, 1968 1
- Benjamin M. Zelman, American politician, Representative from New York 19th District, 1940 1
- Sir Zelman Cowen AK, GCMG, GCVO, QC (1919-2011), Australian politician, 19th Governor-General of Australia (1977-1982)
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