Catmen History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The ancestry of the name Catmen can be traced back to the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It is a name for a servant of someone named Cade, or a person who packed herring into barrels or made the barrels themselves. 1

The surname may also be derived from Saint Cædmon, which was the name of a poet who died around 680 AD. 2

According to the Venerable Bede, Cædmon was an illiterate herdsman who received divine inspiration in a dream to enter a monastery and write religious poetry. He is principally known for the work entitled "Cædmon's Hymn." 2

Thomas de Chabham or Chobham (fl. 1230), was an early English theologian and is mentioned as sub-dean of Salisbury in 1214 and 1230. 2

Early Origins of the Catmen family

The surname Catmen was first found in Yorkshire where the name "is a North English name. The temptation to make it occupative is great. A 'cade of herynge' is as old as the Promptorium Parvulorum, and the cademan would seem naturally to be one who packed herring in cades, or barrels, or perhaps the cooper who made them. But the name is always found without prefix." 3

The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 included: A. Robert Cademan.; J. Thomas Cademain; Robertus Cadman; and Ricardus Caddeman. 3

Early History of the Catmen family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Catmen research. Another 149 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1270, 1590, 1620, 1623, 1626 and 1661 are included under the topic Early Catmen History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Catmen Spelling Variations

Catmen has been spelled many different ways. Before English spelling became standardized over the last few hundred years, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. As the English language changed in the Middle Ages, absorbing pieces of Latin and French, as well as other languages, the spelling of people's names also changed considerably, even over a single lifetime. Many variations of the name Catmen have been found, including Cadman, Cadiman, Caddman, Caedman, Caedmon, Chadman, Catman, Cattman, Katman, Kadman, Kaddman, Cudman, Cuddman, Cutman, Cuttman, Codman, Coddman, Coadman, Codeman, Caidman, Cadsman, Cadesman, Cattsman, Coldman, Caldman, Caldmen and many more.

Early Notables of the Catmen family

Distinguished members of the family include Sir Thomas Cademan (1590?-1661), English physician, born in Norfolk about 1590, educated at Trinity College, Cambridge. "He then studied abroad, and took the degree of M.D. at Padua March 1620. In May and June 1623 he passed his examination before the censors of the Royal College of Physicians of...
Another 54 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Catmen Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Catmen family

In an attempt to escape the chaos experienced in England, many English families boarded overcrowded and diseased ships sailing for the shores of North America and other British colonies. Those families hardy enough, and lucky enough, to make the passage intact were rewarded with land and a social environment less prone to religious and political persecution. Many of these families became important contributors to the young colonies in which they settled. Early immigration and passenger lists have documented some of the first Catmens to arrive on North American shores: Joe Cadman and his wife Hannah who settled in Georgia in 1733; Warner Cadman arrived in New England in 1764; Jonas Cadiman arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1743.

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. 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)