Show ContentsEman History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The generations and branches of the Eman family share a name that has its roots in the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. The name Eman comes from the baptismal name for the son of Emma. "Emma (d. 1052), called Ælfgifu, queen, the daughter of Richard the Fearless, Duke of the Normans, by Gunnor, and legitimated by the duke's subsequent marriage with her mother. She was married to King Ethelred or Æthelred the Unready in 1002. This marriage prepared the way for the future conquest of England by the Normans, and was held to give the Conqueror some right to the crown. " 1

Early Origins of the Eman family

The surname Eman was first found in Berkshire, where they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D.

Early History of the Eman family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Eman research. Another 73 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Eman History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Eman Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Eman include Eman, Emmon, Emmond, Emmons, Emmonts, Emon, Emond, Emonds, Emonts and many more.

Early Notables of the Eman family

Notables of this surname at this time include:

  • Charles Eman of Windsor


United States Eman migration to the United States +

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Eman or a variant listed above:

Eman Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • John Eman, who arrived in Virginia in 1622-1623 2
Eman Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Sarah Eman who settled in Edgar Town Massachusetts in 1820

Canada Eman migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Eman Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Abel Eman, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1750
  • Mr. Jacob Eman U.E., "Aman" who settled in Eastern District [Cornwall], Ontario c. 1784 3

New Zealand Eman 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:

Eman Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Thomas Eman, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Cairngorm" in 1863

Contemporary Notables of the name Eman (post 1700) +

  • Samigue Eman (b. 1981), Filipino former professional basketball player who last played for the Alaska Aces of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA)
  • Berendina Roelofina Hendrika "Diet" Eman (1920-2019), Dutch Resistance worker during World War II and author of the book Things We Couldn't Say
  • Michiel Godfried "Mike" Eman (b. 1961), Aruban politician, who served as the 3rd Prime Minister of Aruba from 2009 to 2017
  • Jan Hendrik Albert "Henny" Eman (b. 1944), Prime Minister of Aruba
  • George Eman Vaillant (b. 1934), American psychiatrist and Professor at Harvard Medical School and Director of Research for the Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital
  • George Eman Vaillant M.D. (b. 1934), American psychiatrist and Professor at Harvard Medical School


  1. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  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


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