Show ContentsCarman History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

When the ancestors of the Carman family arrived in England following the Norman Conquest of 1066, they brought their name with them. It is a name for a person who was known as the carman, or one who rented or let out vehicles. Often carmen were known as hostilers.

Early Origins of the Carman family

The surname Carman was first found in Cumberland in the lands of Carman where they held a family seat from very ancient times before 1100 A.D.

Early History of the Carman family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Carman research. Another 158 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1066, 1086 and 1300 are included under the topic Early Carman History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Carman Spelling Variations

Multitudes of spelling variations are a hallmark of Anglo Norman names. Most of these names evolved in the 11th and 12th century, in the time after the Normans introduced their own Norman French language into a country where Old and Middle English had no spelling rules and the languages of the court were French and Latin. To make matters worse, medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, so names frequently appeared differently in the various documents in which they were recorded. The name was spelled Carman, Carmen, Carmine, Carmyn and others.

Early Notables of the Carman family

More information is included under the topic Early Carman Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Carman Ranking

In the United States, the name Carman is the 3,756th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 1


Carman migration to the United States +

Because of this political and religious unrest within English society, many people decided to immigrate to the colonies. Families left for Ireland, North America, and Australia in enormous numbers, traveling at high cost in extremely inhospitable conditions. The New World in particular was a desirable destination, but the long voyage caused many to arrive sick and starving. Those who made it, though, were welcomed by opportunities far greater than they had known at home in England. Many of these families went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Carman or a variant listed above:

Carman Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Henry Carman aged 23, who settled in Virginia in 1620, the same year that the "Mayflower" arrived to the north in Massachusetts
  • Henery Carman, who arrived in Virginia in 1620 2
  • John Carman, who settled in Boston Massachusetts in 1621 the year following the "Mayflower,"
  • Henry Carman, who landed in Virginia in 1623 2
  • Mr. John Carman, from Hampshire, who arrived in Boston, Mass in 1635 aboard the ship "Plough of Woolwich", bound for Long Island 2
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Carman Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Hercules Carman, who arrived in Virginia in 1713 2
  • Jacob Carman, who landed in New York in 1715-1716 2
  • Leonard Carman, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1765 2
Carman Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Thomas H Carman, aged 19, who arrived in New York in 1812 2
  • B Carman, aged 20, who landed in America in 1822 2
  • Levi Carman, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 2
  • S. Carman settled in San Francisco, California in 1850
  • Mrs. Carman, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1850 2
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Carman migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Carman Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Mr. George Carman U.E. who settled in Eastern District [Cornwall], Ontario c. 1783 3
  • Mr. Jacob Carman U.E. who settled in Eastern District [Cornwall], Ontario c. 1783 3
  • Mr. Michael Carman U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1783 3
  • Mr. Michael Carman Jr., U.E. who settled in Eastern District [Cornwall], Ontario c. 1783 3
  • Mr. Michael Carman Jr., U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1783 3
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Carman Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Samuel Carman, who arrived in Canada in 1829
  • Samuel, Carman Jr., who landed in Canada in 1831

Carman migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Carman Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. John Carman, English convict who was convicted in Surrey, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Bengal Merchant" on 24th March 1838, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 4
  • Mary H Carman, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Diadem" in 1840 5
  • Mary Carman, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Diadem" in 1840 5
  • John Carman, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Rajasthan" in 1840 6
  • Martha Carman, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Rajasthan" in 1840 6
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Carman 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:

Carman Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Philip Carman, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Weymouth" in 1866
  • Mr. Philip Carman, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Weymouth" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 3rd July 1866 7
  • Sophia Carman, aged 18, a servant, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Berar" in 1875
  • Alfred Carman, aged 18, a farm labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Hudson" in 1879

Contemporary Notables of the name Carman (post 1700) +

  • Mike Carman (b. 1988), American professional ice hockey player
  • George Wartman Carman (1866-1929), American Major League Baseball shortstop
  • Taylor Carman, American philosopher
  • Jonathan Daniel Carman (b. 1976), American football offensive lineman
  • Ezra Ayers Carman (1834-1909), American officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War
  • Brynn Carman (b. 1994), American pair skater
  • Patrick Carman (b. 1966), American author
  • George F. Carman, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Suffolk County, 1871, 1879 8
  • Dan Carman, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Oklahoma, 1952 8
  • Benjamin F. Carman, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate in primary for Michigan State House of Representatives from Ingham County 1st District, 1950 8
  • ... (Another 20 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


Suggested Readings for the name Carman +

  • The Carman Family, 1631-1981 by Carrol Carman Hall.
  • Carman Family Chart by Walter F. Wright.
  • John Lee Carman and His Descendants.

  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. 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)
  3. Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
  4. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 13th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bengal-merchant
  5. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The barque DIADEM 1840. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1840Diadem.htm
  6. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) RAJASTHAN 1840. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1840Rajasthan.htm
  7. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  8. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 12) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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