Lehman History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The Anglo-Saxon name Lehman comes from the baptismal name for the son of Leman, which was taken from the personal name Liefman. 1
Early Origins of the Lehman family
The surname Lehman 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 Lehman family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Lehman 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 Lehman History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Lehman 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 Lehman were recorded, including Leaman, Leamen, Leman, Lemon, Lemmon, Leemon, Limon and many more.
Early Notables of the Lehman 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 Lehman Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Lehman Ranking
In the United States, the name Lehman is the 1,186th most popular surname with an estimated 24,870 people with that name. 4
Migration of the Lehman family to Ireland
Some of the Lehman 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.
Lehman 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 Lehman family emigrate to North America:
Lehman Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
- Philip Theodore Lehman, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1682 5
Lehman Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
- Clemens Lehman who went to New York with his wife Anna Gertraud Wolf Lehman, in 1713
- Hans Lehman who settled in Philadelphia, in 1721 with his wife Anna Hege Lehman and their three children
- Hans Jerig Lehman, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1727 aboard the ship "Friendship of Bristol" 5
- Johanis Lehman, aged 1, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1731 5
- Kathrina Lehman, aged 3, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1731 5
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Lehman Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- Nicholas Lehman, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1806 5
- Daniel Lehman, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1806 5
- Christ Lehman, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1806 5
- Catherine Lehman went to New York, NY in 1824
- Charles Lehman, aged 21, who landed in New York, NY in 1832 5
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Lehman migration to New Zealand +
Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:
Lehman Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
- George Lehman, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Queen of Beauty" in 1863
Contemporary Notables of the name Lehman (post 1700) +
- Henry Lehman (1822-1855), German-American businessman and the founder of Lehman Brothers financial services
- Harry Jac Lehman (1935-2022), American politician, Member of the Ohio House of Representatives (1971-1980)
- Emery Chance Lehman (b. 1996), American speed skater who represented the United States at the 2014 Winter Olympics, the 2018 Winter Olympics, and the 2022 Winter Olympics, bronze medalist at the 2022 Winter Olympics
- Major-General Raymond Godfrey Lehman (1895-1964), American Commanding General 93rd Division, Pacific (1943-1945) 6
- Trenton Lawson "Trent" Lehman (1961-1982), American child actor
- Jeffery Sean Lehman (b. 1956), American scholar, lawyer and academic administrator
- Lillian Lehman (b. 1947), American actress
- Kenneth Karl Lehman (1928-2010), relief pitcher in Major League Baseball
- Philip Lehman (1861-1947), Jewish-American investment banker, co-founder of investment bank, Lehman Brothers
- Richard Henry "Rick" Lehman (b. 1948), former member of the United States House of Representatives
- ... (Another 54 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Suggested Readings for the name Lehman +
- A Tree in a Forest: Linnaeus Sheetz Lehman by Thomas R. Lehman.
- Descendants of John Daniel Lehman by Naomi Irene Shaum.
Citations +
- Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
- Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
- Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
- "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)
- Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2012, April 2) Raymond Lehman. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Lehman/Raymond_Godfrey/USA.html