Show ContentsLedman History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Ledman family

The surname Ledman was first found in Lincolnshire where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. After the Battle of Hastings in 1066, William, Duke of Normandy, having prevailed over King Harold, granted most of Britain to his many victorious Barons. It was not uncommon to find a Baron, or a Bishop, with 60 or more Lordships scattered throughout the country. These he gave to his sons, nephews and other junior lines of his family and they became known as under-tenants. They adopted the Norman system of surnames which identified the under-tenant with his holdings so as to distinguish him from the senior stem of the family. After many rebellious wars between his Barons, Duke William, commissioned a census of all England to determine in 1086, settling once and for all, who held which land. He called the census the Domesday Book, 1 indicating that those holders registered would hold the land until the end of time. Hence, conjecturally, the surname is descended from the tenant of the lands of Leadenham, held by Colegrim from Count Alan who was recorded in the Domesday Book census of 1086.

Early History of the Ledman family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ledman research. Another 92 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1200 and 1302 are included under the topic Early Ledman History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ledman Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, Norman French and other languages became incorporated into English throughout the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Ledman include Ledenham, Leddenham, Lednum, Leadenum, Ledenum, Lednham, Leadingham, Leadinham, Ledingham, Ledham, Ledman and many more.

Early Notables of the Ledman family

More information is included under the topic Early Ledman Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Ledman migration to the United States +

In England at this time, the uncertainty of the political and religious environment of the time caused many families to board ships for distant British colonies in the hopes of finding land and opportunity, and escaping persecution. The voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, though, and many arrived in North America sick, starved, and destitute. Those who did make it, however, were greeted with greater opportunities and freedoms that they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Early immigration records have shown some of the first Ledmans to arrive on North American shores:

Ledman Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Peter Ledman, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1727 aboard the ship "Friendship of Bristol" 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Ledman (post 1700) +

  • Eldon Ledman, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Michigan, 1972; Presidential Elector for Michigan, 1980 3


  1. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  2. 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)
  3. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 9) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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