Fleeman History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland
England

The earliest recorded instance of the Fleeman family name show the family in Flanders, which was located on the North Sea and was a prosperous center for the cloth industry during the Middle Ages. The name is derived from the Anglo-French word "fleming," which comes from the Old French word "flamanc," which means "a Fleming."

"The Flemings were numerous in Norwich from an early period, and Flemings were planted in Pembrokeshire by Henry I. Some of their countrymen had already settled in this country in the days of William the Conqueror, and we find them established about Downton at the period of the Domesday Survey. An eruption of the sea into Flanders compelled the inhabitants to emigrate in great numbers. Many of the wanderers sought refuge in England, and were allowed to inhabit the borders of Scotland. " 1

Early Origins of the Fleeman family

The surname Fleeman was first found in Lanarkshire. "Large territories in the Upper Ward of Lanarkshire were later in possession of a family of this name. Their residence was Boghall Castle near Biggar Theobald the Fleming (Theobaldus Flamaticus) had a grant of land on the Douglas Water from the abbot of Kelso between 1147-1160. Baldwin the Fleming was sheriff of Lanark c. 1150. Jordan Fleming was taken prisoner at Alnwick along with William the Lion in 1174. 2

Confirming their original European stock, "the family of Flemmens, according to Hals, descended from a nobleman of Flanders, who, at a very early period came over to England, and took up his abode at Stoke-flemen in Devonshire, of which he was lord. In the days of Richard I. one of his posterity held in this place by the tenure of knight-service, seven knight's fees, and was probably the founder of this church, which still bears his name. This must have been about the year 1190. His son John was sheriff of Cornwall three years, from the third to the sixth year of John's reign." 3

Early History of the Fleeman family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Fleeman research. Another 119 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1126, 1320, 1341, 1362, 1363, 1372, 1382, 1404, 1416, 1483, 1544, 1567, 1593, 1606, 1613, 1619, 1630, 1633, 1660, 1663, 1666, 1690, 1694, 1698, 1700, 1701, 1708, 1713, 1716 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Fleeman History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Fleeman 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 Fleming, Flemming, Fleeman, Flemons, Flemyng, Fleeming, Flamank, Flament, Flement and many more.

Early Notables of the Fleeman family

Of note in the family at this time was Thomas Fleming (c.1363-c. 1382), 2nd Earl of Wigtown, who was forced through financial hardship to sell the earldom to Archibald the Grim, Lord of Galloway and Earl of Douglas in 1372. There was a second creation of the Earldom of Wigtown, for John Fleming (1567-1619), Lord Fleming and Cumbernauld, in 1606. Robert Fleming the elder (1630-1694), was...
Another 65 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Fleeman Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Fleeman Ranking

In the United States, the name Fleeman is the 14,913^rd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 4

Migration of the Fleeman family to Ireland

Some of the Fleeman family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 138 words (10 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Fleeman migration to the United States +

An inquiry into the early roots of North American families reveals a number of immigrants bearing the name Fleeman or a variant listed above:

Fleeman Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Robert Fleeman was living in Pennsylvania in 1778

Contemporary Notables of the name Fleeman (post 1700) +

Eugene Cecil Fleeman (1907-1962), American politician, Member of the Arkansas House of Representatives (1945-1962)
Homer Fleeman, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Arkansas, 1956 5
Jamie Fleeman (1713-1778), Scottish family jester for the Laird of Udny, immortalized by Bram Stoker in one of his Dracula stories and by Sir Walter Scott in his 1814 Waverley novel; he is credited with saving the life of the laird's family in the fire at Knockhall Castle, thought to be the last family jester in Scotland
Mr. Robert Fleeman, British sheriff, held the position of Sheriff of Nottingham, England from 1903 to 1904
Daniel Fleeman (b. 1982), English racing cyclist who rode between 2007 and 2011

Citations +

Cleveland, Dutchess of The Battle Abbey Roll with some Account of the Norman Lineages. London: John Murray, Abermarle Street, 1889. Print. Volume 2 of 3
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
Hutchins, Fortescue, The History of Cornwall, from the Earliest Records and Traditions to the Present Time. London: William Penaluna, 1824. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 13) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html