Show ContentsBeaman History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Beaman is a name that was brought to England by the ancestors of the Beaman family when they migrated to the region after the Norman Conquest in 1066. The Beaman family lived in Dorset and Gloucestershire. "There existed at a remote period, a family of Beaumont in Normandy, and it was, probably, one of its cadets whose name was inscribed on the muster Roll at Battle. Certain it is that he could not have been the founder of the illustrious House of Beaumont, which, in two centuries after, appears so prominently conspicuous among the most potent barons of the realm, and which was established in this country by Henry de Beaumont, fourth son of Agnes de Beaumont, by her husband, Louie, second son of Charles, Kind of Jerusalem, and nephew of Loius IX. of France." [1]

Early Origins of the Beaman family

The surname Beaman was first found in Dorset and Gloucestershire, where "Roger de Belmont appears in [the] Domesday [Book] as chief tenant. According to Sir H. Ellis, he was a near kinsman of the Conqueror, being lineal descendant of that king's great grandfather. Some trace the noble English families from the Viscounts Beaumont of Normandy, and others from the blood-royal of France." [2]

The chapelry of Ryall in Northumberland is of particular interest to the family. "This was the lordship of John, Lord Beaumont, who died seised of Ryall about the year 1396, leaving it, with many other estates in this county and elsewhere, to his son and heir, Henry, then sixteen years of age, who was knighted at the coronation of Henry IV." [3]

Upper Whitley in the West Riding of Yorkshire was home to another branch of the family. "The founder of the ancient family of Beaumont here, was a Knight Hospitaller of St. John of Jerusalem, who received the manor on condition of performing certain military services in the time of Henry III. Whitley Hall has ever since been the principal residence of the family, and is now in the possession of R. H. Beaumont, Esq. [(c. 1860)]" [3]

Robert de Beaumont (d. 1118), was Count of Meulan, a feudal statesman and son of Roger de Beaumont ('de Bellomonte' in the Latinized form) and grandson of Humfrey de Vielles. [4]

His son, Robert de Beaumont Earl of Leicester (1104-1168), was Justiciary of England, and a twin with his brother Waleran. Waleran de Beaumont Count of Meulan (1104-1166), was a warrior and feudal statesman and twin brother of Robert, Earl of Leicester. Robert de Beaumont Earl of Leicester (d. 1190), was a baronial leader and son of Robert de Beaumont, Earl of Leicester. [4]

"The leading manor of South Tawton, [Devon] was once in the Beaumonts, being granted by Henry I. to Roselm Beaumont, Viscount de Mayne, whose granddaughter brought it to Roger de Tony." [5]

Early History of the Beaman family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Beaman research. Another 136 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1198, 1305, 1309, 1340, 1438, 1507, 1584, 1585, 1616, 1636, 1638, 1650, 1660, 1668, 1669, 1676, 1679, 1685, 1689, 1699, 1701 and 1929 are included under the topic Early Beaman History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Beaman Spelling Variations

Norman surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are largely due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England, as well as the official court languages of Latin and French, also had pronounced influences on the spelling of surnames. Since medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings. The name has been spelled Beaumont, Beaumond, Beamond, Beamont, Beamonte, Beamonde, Bellmont, Belmont, Beomont, Beumond, Bewmont, Bewmonte, Bellemont, Beumont, Beaumount, Bewmount, Bowmont, Bowmaunt and many more.

Early Notables of the Beaman family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Viscount Allandale; Henry de Beaumont, 4th Earl of Buchan (circa 1305-1340), a military tactician, who was made the 1st Baron Beaumont in 1309; Sir William de Beaumont, 2nd Viscount Beaumont (1438-1507), fought in several of the major battles of the Wars of the Roses, probably knighted before the Battle of Northampton; Francis Beaumont (c.1585-1616), a British playwright...
Another 65 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Beaman Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Beaman Ranking

In the United States, the name Beaman is the 4,948th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. [6]

Ireland Migration of the Beaman family to Ireland

Some of the Beaman family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Beaman migration to the United States +

Many English families emigrated to North American colonies in order to escape the political chaos in Britain at this time. Unfortunately, many English families made the trip to the New World under extremely harsh conditions. Overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the stormy Atlantic. Despite these hardships, many of the families prospered and went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the United States and Canada. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the name Beaman or a variant listed above:

Beaman Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Robert Beaman, who landed in Virginia in 1650 [7]
  • Peter Beaman, who landed in Maryland in 1673 [7]
  • Sarah Beaman, who landed in Maryland in 1679 [7]
Beaman Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Christi Beaman, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1765 [7]
  • David Beaman, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1765 [7]
Beaman Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Jane Beaman, who arrived in New York, NY in 1846 [7]
  • Henry Beaman, who arrived in Indiana in 1850 [7]
  • Bernardo Beaman, who landed in Puerto Rico in 1860 [7]
  • Middleton Beaman, aged 14, who immigrated to America, in 1892
  • Mrs. G. Beaman, aged 38, who landed in America, in 1892
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Beaman Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Harry Beaman, aged 4, who settled in America from London, in 1904
  • Isaac Beaman, aged 1, who landed in America from London, in 1904
  • Joseph J. Beaman, aged 40, who settled in America, in 1905
  • William Henry Beaman, aged 24, who immigrated to the United States from Manchester, England, in 1907
  • Ralph Beaman, aged 23, who landed in America, in 1909
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Canada Beaman migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Beaman Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Mr. Thomas Beaman U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1783 [8]

Australia Beaman migration to Australia +

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

Beaman Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Samuel Beaman, English convict who was convicted in London, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Captain Cook" on 2nd May 1833, arriving in New South Wales, Australia [9]

Contemporary Notables of the name Beaman (post 1700) +

  • Charles Cotesworth Beaman Sr. (1840-1900), American lawyer and author of The National and Private Alabama Claims and their Final and Amicable Settlement (1871), 1st Solicitor General of the United States
  • Sydney George Hulme Beaman (1887-1932), American author & illustrator, best known as the creator of the Toytown stories and their characters including Larry the Lamb
  • Fernando Cortez Beaman (1814-1882), American politician, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Michigan (1863-1871) and (1861-1863)
  • Brigadier-General Bartlett Beaman (1891-1947), American Chief of Staff 1st Air Division (1944-1945) [10]
  • Gerald R. Beaman, American Rear Admiral in the US Navy and an ex Special Agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation
  • Hana Beaman, American professional snowboarder
  • G. Schofield Beaman, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from North Carolina, 1924 [11]
  • Fred J. Beaman, American Republican politician, Postmaster at Jackson, Michigan, 1922-35 [11]
  • Edwin W. Beaman, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Indiana, 1960 [11]
  • Ed Beaman, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Nevada, 2004 [11]
  • ... (Another 9 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


  1. Burke, John Bernard, The Roll of Battle Abbey. London: Edward Churton, 26, Holles Street, 1848, Print.
  2. The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
  3. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  4. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  5. Worth, R.N., A History of Devonshire London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, E.G., 1895. Digital
  6. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  7. 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)
  8. Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
  9. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/captain-cook
  10. Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2011, October 6) Bartlett Beaman. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Beaman/Bartlett/USA.html
  11. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 19) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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