Yeoman History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The Yeoman name was originally an Anglo-Saxon name that was given to a free landholder.
Early Origins of the Yeoman family
The surname Yeoman was first found in Gloucestershire where they held a family seat from very early times, before and after the Norman Conquest in 1066.
Early History of the Yeoman family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Yeoman research. Another 54 words (4 lines of text) covering the year 1565 is included under the topic Early Yeoman History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Yeoman Spelling Variations
Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Yeoman has undergone many spelling variations, including Yeoman, Yeomans, Yoemans and others.
Early Notables of the Yeoman family
Notables of the family at this time include
- Patrick Yeoman of Dryburgh
Yeoman Ranking
In the United States, the name Yeoman is the 14,140th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1
Yeoman migration to the United States +
To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Yeoman were among those contributors:
Yeoman Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
- Robert Yeoman, who landed in Virginia in 1622 2
- Tho Yeoman, who arrived in Virginia in 1637 2
- George Yeoman, who settled in Virginia in 1638
- Cesar Yeoman, who landed in Virginia in 1652 2
- James Yeoman, who arrived in Virginia in 1656 2
Yeoman Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
- Richard Yeoman, who settled in New England in 1718
Yeoman migration to Australia +
Emigration to
Australia followed the
First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:
Yeoman Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
- Mr. James Yeoman, (b. 1809), aged 40, Cornish carpenter from Tregony, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "Labuan" arriving in Port Phillip, New South Wales, Australia on 11th February 1849 3
- Mrs. Amelia Alice Yeoman, (b. 1818), aged 31, Cornish settler from St. Erth, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "Labuan" arriving in Port Phillip, New South Wales, Australia on 11th February 1849 3
- Miss Fanny Yeoman, (b. 1829), aged 20, English dressmaker from London, England, UK travelling aboard the ship "Labuan" arriving in Port Phillip, New South Wales, Australia on 11th February 1849 3
- Mr. James Yeoman, (b. 1809), aged 40, Cornish carpenter from Tregony, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "Labuan" arriving in Port Phillip, Victoria, Australia on 11th February 1849 4
- Mrs. Amelia Alice Yeoman, (b. 1818), aged 31, Cornish settler from St. Erth, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "Labuan" arriving in Port Phillip, Victoria, Australia on 11th February 1849 4
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Yeoman 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:
Yeoman Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
- Mrs. Yeoman, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Peter Denny" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 3rd September 1873 5
- Miss Margaret Yeoman, (b. 1873), aged 3 months, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Peter Denny" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 3rd September 1873, died on board 5
Contemporary Notables of the name Yeoman (post 1700) +
- William Frank "Bill" Yeoman (1927-2020), American college football player and coach, inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2001
- Robert David Yeoman (b. 1951), American Independent Spirit Award winning cinematographer and director of photography
- Bill Yeoman (b. 1927), American head football coach University of Houston, invented the veer offense, inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame (2001)
- Foster Yeoman, English businessman who founded Foster Yeoman Limited, one of Europe's largest quarrying and asphalt companies in 1923
- Ashley Yeoman (b. 1992), English footballer
- Owain Sebastian Yeoman (b. 1978), Welsh actor from Chepstow, Monmouthshire, Wales, best known for his role as Agent Wayne Rigsby in The Mentalist
- Percival Yeoman, Australian Landscape Architect
Historic Events for the Yeoman family +
- Mr. John W Yeoman, British Able Seaman, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and survived the sinking 7
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)
- Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, May 30). Ships' Passenger Lists of Arrivals in New South Wales on (1828 - 1842, 1848 - 1849) [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_nsw_1838_on.pdf
- Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retreived 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_australia_victoria.pdf
- New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
- HMAS Sydney II, Finding Sydney Foundation - Roll of Honour. (Retrieved 2014, April 24) . Retrieved from http://www.findingsydney.com/roll.asp
- HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html