Show ContentsLeeman History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Leeman name is an important part of the history of the ancient Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. Leeman is derived from the baptismal name for the son of Leman, which was taken from the personal name Liefman. [1]

Early Origins of the Leeman family

The surname Leeman was first found in Suffolk at Wenhaston, a parish, in the union and hundred of Blything. "The family of Leman had a [family] seat here. The church is an ancient structure in the decorated English style, with a square embattled tower, and contains several monuments to the Leman family." [2]

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 provided some of the earliest records of the family, typically with ancient spellings: Leman Bru in Norfolk; Alan filius Leman in Cambridgeshire; Eldred Leman in Somerset; and Thomas Letman in Oxfordshire. [3]

Early History of the Leeman family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Leeman research. Another 83 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1185, 1616, 1637, 1645, 1660, 1667, 1690, 1695, 1701 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Leeman History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Leeman Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years, the English language had no fast system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations are commonly found in early Anglo-Saxon surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Leeman were recorded, including Leaman, Leamen, Leman, Lemon, Lemmon, Leemon, Limon and many more.

Early Notables of the Leeman family

Notables of the family at this time include Sir John Leman, Lord Mayor of London in 1616; Sir William Leman, 1st Baronet (died 1667), an English politician who sat in the House of...
Another 32 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Leeman Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Leeman Ranking

In the United States, the name Leeman is the 12,019th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. [4]

Ireland Migration of the Leeman family to Ireland

Some of the Leeman family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Leeman migration to the United States +

To escape oppression and starvation at that time, many English families left for the "open frontiers" of the New World with all its perceived opportunities. In droves people migrated to the many British colonies, those in North America in particular, paying high rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Although many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, those who did see the shores of North America perceived great opportunities before them. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Research into various historical records revealed some of first members of the Leeman family emigrate to North America:

Leeman Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Sarah Leeman, who arrived in Virginia in 1651 [5]
Leeman Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Ludwig Leeman, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1732 [5]
  • Hans Leeman, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1737 [5]
  • John Leeman, who settled in Virginia in 1751
Leeman Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • R G Leeman, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1855 [5]

Australia Leeman migration to Australia +

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

Leeman Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Miss Mary Leeman, English convict who was convicted in Northallerton, Yorkshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Duchess of Northumberland" on 25th November 1852, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) [6]

Contemporary Notables of the name Leeman (post 1700) +

  • Cliff Leeman (1913-1986), American jazz drummer
  • Gerald Leeman (1922-2008), American Olympic silver medalist in wrestling (1948)
  • Gary Leeman (b. 1964), Canadian professional (NHL), ice hockey player
  • Paul Leeman (b. 1978), Northern Irish footballer
  • Leeman M. Brundage, American politician, Mayor of Norwalk, Connecticut, 1909-10 [7]


  1. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  2. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  3. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  4. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  5. 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)
  6. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 22nd July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/duchess-of-northumberland
  7. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 1) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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