Show ContentsLeman History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Leman is a name of Anglo-Saxon origin and came from the baptismal name for the son of Leman, which was taken from the personal name Liefman. 1

Early Origins of the Leman family

The surname Leman was first found in Suffolk at Wenhaston, a parish, in the union and hundred of Blything. "The family of Leman had a [family] seat here. The church is an ancient structure in the decorated English style, with a square embattled tower, and contains several monuments to the Leman family." 2

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 provided some of the earliest records of the family, typically with ancient spellings: Leman Bru in Norfolk; Alan filius Leman in Cambridgeshire; Eldred Leman in Somerset; and Thomas Letman in Oxfordshire. 3

Early History of the Leman family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Leman research. Another 83 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1185, 1616, 1637, 1645, 1660, 1667, 1690, 1695, 1701 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Leman History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Leman Spelling Variations

Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate spelled their names differently as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Leman have been found, including Leaman, Leamen, Leman, Lemon, Lemmon, Leemon, Limon and many more.

Early Notables of the Leman family

Notables of the family at this time include

  • Sir John Leman, Lord Mayor of London in 1616
  • Sir William Leman, 1st Baronet (died 1667), an English politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1645 and 1660

Leman Ranking

In France, the name Leman is the 2,071st most popular surname with an estimated 3,037 people with that name. 4

Migration of the Leman family to Ireland

Some of the Leman family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Leman migration to the United States +

Families began migrating abroad in enormous numbers because of the political and religious discontent in England. Often faced with persecution and starvation in England, the possibilities of the New World attracted many English people. Although the ocean trips took many lives, those who did get to North America were instrumental in building the necessary groundwork for what would become for new powerful nations. Among the first immigrants of the name Leman, or a variant listed above to cross the Atlantic and come to North America were :

Leman Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Miss Katherine Leman, who arrived in Virginia in 1623 aboard the ship "Southampton" 5
  • Sar Leman, who arrived in Virginia in 1655 6
  • Thomas Leman, who landed in Maryland in 1676 6
  • Philip Theodore Leman, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1682 6
Leman Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Roger Leman, who arrived in Virginia in 1703 6
  • Peter Leman, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1727 6
  • Christian Leman, who arrived in America in 1730 6
  • Cristian Leman, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1730 6
  • John Christian Leman, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1731 6
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Leman Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • James Leman, who landed in New York, NY in 1811 6
  • Margaret Leman, who landed in New York, NY in 1811 6
  • Edvard Leman, aged 31, who landed in New York in 1827 6
  • Phillip L Leman, who landed in New York in 1832 6
  • H Leman, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 6
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Leman migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Leman Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Mr. John Leman U.E. who settled in Eastern District [Cornwall], Ontario c. 1784 7

Leman migration to Australia +

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

Leman Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. William Leman, (b. 1811), aged 21 who was convicted in Somerset, England for life for stealing, transported aboard the "Circassian" on 4th November 1832, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 8
  • Mr. William Leman, English convict who was convicted in Bristol, England for life, transported aboard the "Augusta Jessie" on 10th August 1838, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 9
  • F. Leman, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "John Munn" in 1849 10
  • Miss Elizabeth Leman, (b. 1831), aged 18, Cornish housemaid from Redruth, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "Sir George Seymour" arriving in New South Wales, Australia on 14th May 1849 11
  • Miss Elizabeth Leman, (b. 1831), aged 18, Cornish housemaid from Redruth, Cornwall, UK departing on 29th January 1849 aboard the ship "Sir George Seymouth" arriving in Port Henry, Geelong, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia on 14th May 1849 12

Contemporary Notables of the name Leman (post 1700) +

  • Louis Leman, American Republican politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Texas 8th District, 1966
  • Loren D. Leman (b. 1950), American Republican politician, Civil engineer; Commercial fisherman; Member of Alaska State House of Representatives; Elected 1988, 1990; Member of Alaska State Senate District G, 1993-2002; Lieutenant Governor of Alaska, 2002-06
  • Lester C. Leman, American Democratic Party politician, Postmaster at Bremen, Indiana, 1934-47 (acting, 1934-35)
  • Andrew H. Leman (b. 1966), American actor, writer, designer, director, and producer
  • Robert J. Leman (1922-2006), American science fiction and horror short story author
  • Loren Dwight Leman (b. 1950), American politician, the 10th Lieutenant Governor of Alaska
  • Jeremy Jacob Junior "J" Leman (b. 1985), American football linebacker
  • Richard Alexander Leman O.B.E. (b. 1959), born in East Grinstead, West Sussex, English Olympic gold and bronze medalist for field hockey in 1988, 1984 and 1986, he was appointed Officer of the British Empire on 8th June 2018 13
  • Dennis Leman, English football midfielder for Manchester City
  • Brady Leman (b. 1986), Canadian freestyle skier, he specializes in the ski cross and is the reigning Olympic champion in this area since the 2018 Winter Olympics
  • ... (Another 2 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


  1. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  2. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  3. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  4. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
  5. Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's Retrieved January 6th 2023, retrieved from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
  6. 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)
  7. 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
  8. Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 8th February 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/circassian
  9. Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 23rd August 2020 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/augusta-jessie
  10. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) JOHN MUNN 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849JohnMunnPassengers.htm
  11. Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, May 30). Ships' Passenger Lists of Arrivals in New South Wales on (1828 - 1842, 1848 - 1849) [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_nsw_1838_on.pdf
  12. Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retreived 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_australia_victoria.pdf
  13. "Birthday and New Year Honours Lists (1940 to 2019)." Issue 62507, 28 December 2018 | London Gazette, The Gazette, Dec. 2018, www.thegazette.co.uk/honours-lists


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