Show ContentsHillman History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Hillman name has descended through the generations from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. Their name comes from having lived on or near a hill. Further research showed the name was derived from the Old English words hyll, which meant hill. Combined the name means "dweller on the hill."

Early Origins of the Hillman family

The surname Hillman was first found in Hampshire 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 Hillman family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hillman research. Another 86 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1273 and 1327 are included under the topic Early Hillman History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hillman 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 Hillman has undergone many spelling variations, including Hillman, Hilman, Hilleman and others.

Early Notables of the Hillman family

Notables of the family at this time include

  • John Hillman of Yorkshire

Hillman Ranking

In the United States, the name Hillman is the 2,113rd most popular surname with an estimated 14,922 people with that name. [1]


United States Hillman 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 Hillman were among those contributors:

Hillman Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Elliner Hillman, aged 33, British settler who landed in New England in 1635 aboard the ship "Abigail" [2]
  • Edward Hillman who settled in Virginia in 1654
  • Thomas Hillman, who settled in New England in 1654
  • Margaret Hillman, who landed in Maryland or Virginia in 1671 [2]
Hillman Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • George, and John Hillman, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1745
  • John Hendrich Hillman, who arrived in South Carolina in 1749 [2]
Hillman Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Anton Hillman, aged 34, German who arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1845 aboard the ship "Joh. Derhardt"
  • John Hillman, who landed in Tippecanoe County, Ind in 1848 [2]
  • Hannah Hillman, aged 26, who arrived in New York, NY in 1855 [2]
  • Charles Hillman, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1871 [2]
  • Henry Hillman, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1872 [2]

Australia Hillman migration to Australia +

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

Hillman Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Francis Hillman, British Convict who was convicted in Norfolk, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Earl Cornwallis" in August 1800, arriving in New South Wales, Australia [3]
  • Mr. John Hillman, British Convict who was convicted in Bristol, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Coromandel" on 4th December 1803, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he may have returned to England on the "Surrey" in 1819 [4]
  • Mr. William Hillman, British Convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Commodore Hayes" in April 1823, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) [5]
  • Mr. William Hillman, English convict who was convicted in Wiltshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Eliza" on 2nd February 1831, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) [6]
  • Mr. Ezra Hillman, English convict who was convicted in Liverpool, Merseyside, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Emperor Alexander"on 6th April 1833, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) [7]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

New Zealand Hillman 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:

Hillman Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • James Hillman, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840
  • Mr. Hillman, British settler travelling from London, UK aboard the ship "Bank of England" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 10th October 1850 [8]
  • Mr. Calvin L. Hillman, British settler travelling from London, UK aboard the ship "Assaye" arriving in Auckland, North Island, New Zealand on 26th December 1874 [8]
  • Mrs. Hillman, British settler travelling from London, UK with 2 children aboard the ship "Assaye" arriving in Auckland, North Island, New Zealand on 26th December 1874 [8]
  • Calvin L. Hillman, aged 34, a mason, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Assaye" in 1874 [8]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

West Indies Hillman migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. [9]
Hillman Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century
  • James Hillman, who settled in Barbados in 1685

Contemporary Notables of the name Hillman (post 1700) +

  • Ronnie Keith Ryan Hillman (1991-2022), American NFL football running back for the Denver Broncos, Minnesota Vikings, San Diego Chargers and Dallas Cowboys; he died at the age of 31 from renal medullary carcinoma
  • Darius Dutton "Dave" Hillman (1927-2022), American Major League Baseball pitcher who played from 1955 to 1962, at the time of his death, he was the oldest surviving former Cincinnati Reds player and he was the oldest living member of the 1962 New York Mets
  • John Hartwell Hillman Sr. (b. 1840), American businessman, the founder of the Hillman Coal and Coke Company
  • John Hartwell Hillman (1880-1959), American businessman active in coal, steel and gas, chairman of J. H. Hillman & Sons
  • Henry Lea Hillman (1918-2017), American billionaire businessman, investor, civic leader, and philanthropist; Chairman of The Hillman Company, fifth child of John Hartwell Hillman, Jr
  • James Hillman (1926-2011), American psychologist, considered to be one of the most original psychologists of the 20th century
  • Elsie Hilliard Hillman (1925-2015), American civic and political leader, philanthropist and activist
  • Brigadier-General Charles Clark Hillman (1887-1979), American Commanding General Letterman General Hospital (1944-1946) [10]
  • Christopher Hillman (b. 1942), American musician and one of the original members of "The Byrds" (1965)
  • Harry Livingston Hillman (1881-1945), American athlete and winner of three gold medals at the 1904 Summer Olympics
  • ... (Another 9 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Hillcrest Coal Mine
  • Mr. James William Hillman (1889-1914), English Miner from Clapton, Bath, England, United Kingdom who worked in the Hillcrest Coal Mine, Alberta, Canada and died in the mine collapse [11]


Suggested Readings for the name Hillman +

  • Unto the Hills, Some Hillmans and Others, A Partial Genealogy of the Southwest Virginia Families of Carrico, Edwards, Hillman, Newberry, Stallard, Wells and Other Families by Belva Marshall Counts.
  • Hillman, John, 1793-1879 and Rebecca, 1795-1879: His Ancestors, their Descendants by Endocen H. Hillman.

  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. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 13th August 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-cornwallis
  4. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 22nd March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/coromandel-and-experiment
  5. Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 4th March 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/commodore-hayes
  6. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 28th February 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eliza
  7. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 11th April 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/emperor-alexander
  8. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  9. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
  10. Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2012, March 12) Charles Hillman. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Hillman/Charles_Clark/USA.html
  11. List Of Miners - Hillcrest Mine Disaster Data. (Retrieved 2014, June 24) . Retrieved from http://www.hillcrestminedisaster.com/data/index.php?title=List_Of_Miners


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