Pittman History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
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 Uban Piteman was listed in the Assize Rolls of Norfolk in 1203 2 and John Piteman was listed in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 in Buckinghamshire. 3
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
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.
Pittman World Ranking
In the United States, the name Pittman is the 447th most popular surname with an estimated 62,175 people with that name. 4 However, in Newfoundland, Canada, the name Pittman is ranked the 62nd most popular surname with an estimated 422 people with that name. 5
Pittman migration to the United States +
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 6
- 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 6
- ... (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 6
Pittman migration to Australia +
Emigration to
Australia followed the
First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:
Pittman Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
- Henry Pittman, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Hooghly" in 1839 7
- Ann Pittman, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Hooghly" in 1839 7
- Caroline Pittman, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Hooghly" in 1839 7
- Emilia Pittman, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Hooghly" in 1839 7
- John Pittman, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Hooghly" in 1839 7
Contemporary Notables of the name Pittman (post 1700) +
- Edwin L. Pittman, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Mississippi, 1980 Justice of the Supreme Court of Mississippi 8
- Master Gunnery Sergeant Richard Allan Pittman (b. 1945), United States Marine, awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions on July 24, 1966 during the Vietnam War
- 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 8
- Claude F. Pittman Sr., American politician, Mayor of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, 1961-62; Resigned 1962 8
- Claude C. Pittman, American politician, Member of Georgia State Senate, 1950 8
- ... (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.
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)
- "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
- The order of Common Surnames in 1955 in Newfoundland retrieved on 20th October 2021 (retrieved from Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland by E.R. Seary corrected edition ISBN 0-7735-1782-0)
- 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