Show ContentsKelman History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The current generations of the Kelman family have inherited a surname that was first used hundreds of years ago by descendants of the ancient Scottish tribe called the Picts. The Kelman family lived at Kelman Hill, which is in the Cabrach in the county of Aberdeen.

Early Origins of the Kelman family

The surname Kelman was first found in Aberdeenshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Obar Dheathain), a historic county, and present day Council Area of Aberdeen, located in the Grampian region of northeastern Scotland, where they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D.

Early History of the Kelman family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Kelman research. Another 75 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Kelman History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kelman Spelling Variations

Scribes in the Middle Ages did not have access to a set of spelling rules. They spelled according to sound, the result was a great number of spelling variations. In various documents, Kelman has been spelled Kelman, Kilman and others.

Early Notables of the Kelman family

Notable amongst the Clan at this time was

  • Kelman of Aberdeenshire


United States Kelman migration to the United States +

The cruelties suffered under the new government forced many to leave their ancient homeland for the freedom of the North American colonies. Those who arrived safely found land, freedom, and opportunity for the taking. These hardy settlers gave their strength and perseverance to the young nations that would become the United States and Canada. Immigration and passenger lists have shown many early immigrants bearing the name Kelman:

Kelman Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • George Kelman, who settled in Virginia in 1650
  • Geo Kelman, who landed in Virginia in 1650 1
  • John Kelman, who arrived in Virginia in 1650 1
Kelman Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • John Henry Kelman, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1773 1
  • Henry Kelman, who settled in Philadelphia in 1773
Kelman Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Margaret Kelman, who arrived in New York in 1822

Contemporary Notables of the name Kelman (post 1700) +

  • Herbert Chanoch Kelman (1927-2022), Austrian-born American psychologist who was the Richard Clarke Cabot Professor of Social Ethics at Harvard University
  • Dr. Charles Kelman (1930-2004), American ophthalmologist and a pioneer in cataract surgery
  • Isadore Kelman, American politician, Candidate for Connecticut State House of Representatives from Bristol, 1914 2
  • James Kelman (b. 1946), Scottish writer of novels, short stories, plays and political essays
  • Todd Kelman (b. 1975), retired Canadian ice hockey defenceman
  • John Kelman Loveday (1949-2023), New Zealand rugby union player who represented Manawatu at a provincial level, and was a member of the New Zealand national side, the All Blacks


  1. 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)
  2. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 11) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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