Contents [hide]

Cushman History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Cushman History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Cushman is an ancient Norman name, that would have been used in Britain soon after the Conquest of the island in 1066. This name was given to a person who was a person who was related to someone of note in the area. Further research showed the name was derived from the Old French, cusin, and the Old English, cousin, which means relative. 1

Early Origins of the Cushman family

The surname Cushman was first found in Norfolk and in the southern counties of England, where the first on record appears to be Roger Cusin, listed in the Pipe Rolls in that county in 1166. Robert Cusyn and his wife Joan were landowners in Ellisfield, Hampshire during the Reign of Henry III (1216-1272). Peter Cusin was a sheriff of London in 1273. A Galfridus Cusyn of Hardingham, Norfolk is mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls for that county in 1327. 2

The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 lists: Johannes Cosyn, tiropour; Ricardus Cosyn; and Alicia Cosyn, 1379. 2

Early History of the Cushman family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cushman research. Another 51 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1066, 1535, 1541, 1547, 1549, 1558, 1585, 1594, 1597, 1672, 1697, 1743 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Cushman History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cushman Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Cousin, Cousins, Cozens, Cossins, Couzins, Cossens, Cosin, Cosyns, Cousens, Couzens, Cossins, Cosin and many more.

Early Notables of the Cushman family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Edmund Cosin, Vice Chancellor of Cambridge University in 1558. He was "a native of Bedfordshire, entered King's Hall, Cambridge, as a bible clerk; proceeded B.A. early in 1535, M.A. in 1541, and B.D. in 1547." 3Benjamin Cosyn, probably a son of John Cosyn, who in 1585 published sixty psalms in six parts in plain counterpoint. He was eminent as a composer of lessons for virginals. Many of his pieces are extant. He flourished in the first half of the 17th century.John Cosin (1594-1672), was an English churchman...
Another 95 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Cushman Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cushman Ranking

In the United States, the name Cushman is the 4,252^nd most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 4

Migration of the Cushman family to Ireland

Some of the Cushman family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 69 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cushman migration to the United States +

Because of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Cushman name or one of its variants:

Cushman Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Robert (Cutchman) Cushman (1578–1625), English servant and later settler from Rolvenden, Kent who settled at the Plymouth Colony aboard the ship "Fortune" to become Chief Agent for the Separatist Leiden contingent (1617-1625)
Mary Allerton Cushman, who arrived in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1620 5
Robert Cushman, who landed in America in 1620 5
Thomas Cushman, aged 12, from Kent, who arrived in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1621 aboard the ship "Fortune" 5
James Cushman, who landed in New England in 1633 5

Cushman Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

J J Cushman, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1850 5
Mr. Cushman, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1850 5
Mr. Cushman, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 5
Mrs. C D Cushman, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 5
G Cushman, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Cushman migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Cushman Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Mr. Johan Cushman, aged 27 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Bee" departing from the port of Cork, Ireland but died on Grosse Isle in June 1847 6

Contemporary Notables of the name Cushman (post 1700) +

John C. Cushman III (1941-2023), American real estate executive, 31st National President of the Boy Scouts of America (2004-2006)
General Robert Everton Cushman Jr. (1914-1985), the 25th Commandant of the Marine Corps, Deputy Director of the CIA (1969-1971)
John Holloway Cushman (1921-2017), American military officer, Commander of the I Corps (1976–1978) and the 101st Airborne Division (1972–1973)
Karen Cushman (b. 1941), American writer of historical fiction, winner of the Newbery Medal for her 1995 novel The Midwife's Apprentice
Joseph Augustine Cushman (1881-1949), American geologist, paleontologist and foraminiferologist from Bridgewater, Massachusetts
Jeremy Stein Cushman (b. 1990), American violinist and violist
Everett Cushman, American co-founder of Cushman, a manufacturer of industrial vehicles, personal vehicles, and other custom vehicles in 1903
Clifton Emmett "Cliff" Cushman (1938-1966), American silver medalist athlete at the 1960 Summer Olympics
Charlotte Saunders Cushman (1816-1876), American actress
John Cushman Truesdale (1921-2011), former chair of the National Labor Relations Board in the United States

Citations +

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)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 23)