Ferman History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland
Scotland

Early Origins of the Ferman family

The surname Ferman was first found in Yorkshire where the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 included some of the first listings of the family: Ricardus Forman; Johannes Forman; and Robertus Formain. All held estates there at that time. 1

However, another source notes that Alan Forman and Robert Fourman were both listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire in 1327. 2

Due to Yorkshire's geographic proximity to Scotland, its very probable that records there would reveal more family records. In Scotland, the name is "perhaps from English Forman (13th century), older Formann, Latinized Formannus. Robert Foreman of Edinburghshire rendered homage, [to King Edward I of England] in 1296. Adam Forman was scutifer to Arnchibald, earl of Douglas, 1426. John Forman witnessed sealing of an inquest anent a fishing on the Tweed, 1467, and in 1474 payment was made to John Forman, Scottish merchant." 3

Early History of the Ferman family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ferman research. Another 167 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1465, 1501, 1504, 1513, 1514, 1521, 1522, 1539, 1552, 1562, 1611, 1696, 1743 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Ferman History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ferman Spelling Variations

During the era when a person's name, tribe and posterity was one of his most important possessions, many different spellings were found in the archives examined. Ferman occurred in many references, and spelling variations of the name found included Forman, Foreman, Formon, Fourman and others.

Early Notables of the Ferman family

Notable amongst the family name during their early history was Andrew Forman (c.1465-11 March 1522), a Scottish diplomat and prelate. He rose to become Archbishop of St. Andrews, and is said to have been one of the Formans of Hatton, near Berwick-on-Tweed. He also was Bishop of Moray in 1501, and Archbishop...
Another 51 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Ferman Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Ferman family to Ireland

Some of the Ferman family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 50 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ferman migration to the United States +

Gradually becoming disenchanted with life in Ireland many of these uprooted families sailed aboard the armada of sailing ships known as the "White Sails" which plied the stormy Atlantic. These overcrowded ships often arrived with only 60 to 70% of their original passenger list, many dying of illness and the elements, were buried at sea. In North America, early immigrants bearing the family name Ferman, or a spelling variation of the surname include:

Ferman Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Ferman, who landed in New England in 1631 4

Ferman Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Henry Ferman, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1753
Henr Ferman, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1753 4

Ferman migration to Australia +

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

Ferman Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. William Ferman, British Convict who was convicted in Isle of Ely, Cambridgeshire, England for life, transported aboard the "Elizabeth" on 11th August 1820, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Ferman (post 1700) +

Irving Ferman, Lawyer, Educator, New York City

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 3rd March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elizabeth