The distinguished surname Pittman emerged among the industrious people of
Flanders, which was an important trading partner and political ally of Britain during the Middle Ages. As a result of the frequent commercial intercourse between the
Flemish and English nations, many
Flemish migrants settled in Britain. In early times, people were known by only a single name. However, as the population grew and people traveled further afield, it became increasingly necessary to assume an additional name to differentiate between bearers of the same
personal name. The manner in which
hereditary surnames arose is interesting.
Local surnames are derived from where the original bearer lived, was born, or held land.
Flemish surnames of this type frequently are prefixed by
de la or
de le, which mean
of the or
from the. The Pittman family originally lived in any low-lying area resembling a pit or hollows. The surname Pittman is derived from the Old English words
pytt, which means
pit, and
mann, which means
man. The surname Pittman belongs to the class of
topographic surnames, which were given to people who resided near physical features such as hills, streams, churches, or types of trees.
Early Origins of the Pittman family
The surname Pittman was first found in
Devon, but we must look to
Normandy, France to find the earliest record of the name. There we found Maingot Piteman who was listed in 1198 in the Magnum Rotulum Scaccarii Normanniae...
[1]CITATION[CLOSE]
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) Uban Piteman was listed in the Assize Rolls of
Norfolk in 1203
[2]CITATION[CLOSE]
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X) and John Piteman was listed in the
Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 in
Buckinghamshire.
[3]CITATION[CLOSE]
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Early History of the Pittman family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Pittman research.
Another 77 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Pittman History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Pittman Spelling Variations
Flemish surnames are characterized by a large number of
spelling variations. One reason for this is that medieval English lacked definite spelling rules. The spellings of surnames were also influenced by the official court languages, which were French and Latin. Names were rarely spelled consistently in medieval times. Scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to specific spelling rules, and people often had their names registered in several different forms throughout their lives. One of the greatest reasons for change is the linguistic uniqueness of the
Flemish settlers in
England, who spoke a language closely related to Dutch. The pronunciation and spelling of
Flemish names were often altered to suit the tastes of English-speaking people. In many cases, the first, final, or middle syllables of surnames were eliminated. The name has been spelled Pitman, Pittman and others.
Early Notables of the Pittman family (pre 1700)
Another 31 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Pittman Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Pittman family to the New World and Oceana
Discovered in the immigration and passenger lists were a number of people bearing the name Pittman:
Pittman Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
- Christo Pittman, who landed in Virginia in 1622 [4]CITATION[CLOSE]
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) - Christopher Pittman, who settled in Virginia in 1623
- Sarah Pittman, who settled in New England in 1635
- Elizabeth Pittman, who settled in Virginia in 1663
- John Pittman, who arrived in Maryland in 1668 [4]CITATION[CLOSE]
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) - ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Pittman Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- M Pittman, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 [4]CITATION[CLOSE]
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)
Pittman Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
- Henry Pittman, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Hooghly" in 1839 [5]CITATION[CLOSE]
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) HOOGHLY 1839. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1839Hooghly.htm - Ann Pittman, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Hooghly" in 1839 [5]CITATION[CLOSE]
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) HOOGHLY 1839. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1839Hooghly.htm - Caroline Pittman, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Hooghly" in 1839 [5]CITATION[CLOSE]
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) HOOGHLY 1839. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1839Hooghly.htm - Emilia Pittman, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Hooghly" in 1839 [5]CITATION[CLOSE]
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) HOOGHLY 1839. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1839Hooghly.htm - John Pittman, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Hooghly" in 1839 [5]CITATION[CLOSE]
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) HOOGHLY 1839. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1839Hooghly.htm
Contemporary Notables of the name Pittman (post 1700)
- Edwin L. Pittman, American Democrat politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Mississippi, 1980 Justice of the Supreme Court of Mississippi [6]CITATION[CLOSE]
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 21) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html - Joseph Wayne "Joe" Pittman (1954-2014), nicknamed Shoes, an American Major League Baseball backup infielder/outfielder who played from 1981 to 1984
- Vail Montgomery Pittman (1880-1964), Democratic Governor of Nevada
- Sergeant John Albert Pittman (1928-1995), United States Army soldier who received the Medal of Honor
- Frank Smith Pittman III M.D. (b. 1935), American psychiatrist and author
- Antonio Pittman (b. 1985), American NFL football running back
- Claude F. Pittman Jr., American politician, Mayor of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, 1962-65 [6]CITATION[CLOSE]
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 21) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html - Claude F. Pittman Sr., American politician, Mayor of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, 1961-62; Resigned 1962 [6]CITATION[CLOSE]
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 21) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html - Claude C. Pittman, American politician, Member of Georgia State Senate, 1950 [6]CITATION[CLOSE]
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 21) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html - Charles Pittman, American Democrat politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Georgia, 2004 [6]CITATION[CLOSE]
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 21) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html - ... (Another 23 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Suggested Readings for the name Pittman
- Sills & Cliburn & Pitman By Isom L. Stephens.
- Descendants of William Pitman, 1647-1700, of Boston, Mass. & Portsmouth, N.H. by Harold Minot Pitman.
- Ancestors and Descendants of Flower Wilkins and George Pitman: Somersetshire, England, 1796 to the United States, 1985 by Oscar Truman Johnson.
Pittman Family Crest Products
Related Stories
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)
- ^ Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-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)
- ^ 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)
- ^ State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) HOOGHLY 1839. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1839Hooghly.htm
- ^ The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 21) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html