Selman History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany

The surname Selman is derived from the Middle High German word "sell," which meant "traveling companion." It was most likely originally nickname, which then became a hereditary surname.

Early Origins of the Selman family

The surname Selman was first found in Westphalia, where the name emerged in mediaeval times as one of the notable families of the region, later moving to Lithuania and East Prussia. From the 13th century the surname was identified with the military and civil service, which made this territory a landmark contributor to the development and eventual unification of the German nation.

Early History of the Selman family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Selman research. Another 155 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1599, 1663, 1797 and 1806 are included under the topic Early Selman History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Selman Spelling Variations

One can encounter great variation in the spelling of surnames: in early times, spelling in general, and thus the spelling of names was not yet standardized; and later, spellings would change with branching and movement of families. Variations of the name Selman include Sell, Selle, Sellen, Sellers, Seller, Sellmann, Sellman and many more.

Early Notables of the Selman family

Notables of the period with the name Selman were Thomas Selle (1599-1663), a German baroque composer; and Baron Adolph von Sell (b.1797), who was Lord Chamberlain at the court of Mecklenburg, as well as...
Another 33 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Selman Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Selman Ranking

In the United States, the name Selman is the 8,166^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Selman migration to the United States +

Many Germans emigrated across the Atlantic to seek better lives in North America. This great migration began in the middle of the 17th century and continued into the 20th century. Resettlement was particularly attractive to those from Westphalia as a means of escape from poverty and religious persecution. For many Westphalian farmers, the chance to own one's own land was also a major incentive. The process of the widespread colonization of the United States began in 1650, when many immigrants from Germany settled in pockets in Pennsylvania, Texas, New York, Illinois, and California. In Canada, German settlements centered around Ontario and the Prairie provinces. Among them:

Selman Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

William Selman, who arrived in Maryland in 1666 2
Henry Selman, who arrived in Maryland in 1673 2

Selman Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

William Selman, who landed in Virginia in 1714 2
Mical Selman, aged 17, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1741 2
Michael Selman, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1741
Abraham Selman, who settled in Philadelphia in 1749

Selman Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Andrew Selman, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1839 2
William Selman, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1843
Michael Selman, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1844

Selman migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 3

Selman Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Mr. George Selman, aged 16, British settler travelling from Gravesend, UK aboard the ship "Hopewell" arriving in Barbados on 17th February 1634 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Selman (post 1700) +

Bill Selman, American coach of the American Team at the 1982 World Ice Hockey Championships
John Marion Selman Jr (1875-1937), American officer in El Paso, Texas who arrested the mistress of gunman John Wesley Hardin for brandishing a gun in public; he was pistol-whipped by Hardin and his father returned later to kill Harden
Matt Selman, American Annie Award winning, Writers Guild of America Award winning, five-time Primetime Emmy Award winning writer for the television show "The Simpsons"
Matty Selman, American playwright, lyricist and composer based in New York
Bart Selman, American associate professor of computer science at Cornell University
John Selman (1839-1896), American outlaw and sometimes lawman of the Old West, remembered as the man who shot outlaw John Wesley Hardin in the Acme Saloon in El Paso, Texas on August 19, 1895; himself killed in a shootout with Marshal George Scarborough
Rubén Selman (b. 1963), Chilean retired football referee
Selman Abraham Waksman (1888-1973), Russian-born, American biochemist
Selman Wells, American politician, Member of West Virginia State House of Delegates from Tyler County, 1870, 1881-82 4

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 4) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html