| ![Show Contents]() Olman History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
Etymology of OlmanWhat does the name Olman mean? Olman is an ancient Anglo-Saxon name. It was a name given to a person who was a holy man, typically a priest or friar. 1 The surname Olman originally derived from the Old English word Hol or Hool. Another reference claims the name was derived from the Old English words "holh" + "mann" and literally meant "dweller by a hollow." 2 And another source claims the name was "a contraction of Holyman; but is more likely to be "whole man," a man of sterling mettle. It must be recollected that in medieval English whole was spelt without the w, and the commonest form of this name in the XIV. and XV. cent. is Holeman." 3 Early Origins of the Olman familyThe surname Olman was first found in Essex, where one of the first records of the name was John Holman, Holeman who was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of 1327. 2 A search through the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 proved to be fruitful: Walter Halloman, Lincolnshire; and William Holyman, Lincolnshire. The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 included entries for Adam Holman, marchautit; and Thomas Halman. 1 The source, Feodarium Prioratus Dunelmensis (Surtees Society included an entry for Robert Halyman, Yorkshire, but no date was provided. And the Calendar of Proceedings in Chancery, temp. Elizabeth I., included an entry for Digorie Holman, temp. Elizabeth. 1 All of the aforementioned held lands in their respective shires. Early History of the Olman familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Olman research. Another 150 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1307, 1531, 1582, 1593, 1628, 1633, 1638, 1659, 1661, 1669, 1685, 1700 and 1730 are included under the topic Early Olman History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Olman Spelling VariationsOne relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Olman has appeared include Holman, Hollman, Holeman and others. Early Notables of the Olman family- Philip Holman (c. 1593-1669), an English merchant and politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1659, High Sheriff of Northamptonshire in 1638; Philip Holman, High Sheriff of Herefordshire in 1633...
- William Holman (d. 1730), English antiquary, a congregational minister at Stepney, Middlesex, whence he was transferred to Halstead, Essex, in 1700. 4
Migration of the Olman family to IrelandSome of the Olman family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
| Olman migration to the United States | + |
At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Olman arrived in North America very early:
Olman Settlers in United States in the 17th Century- Ann Olman, who landed in America in 1654-1679 5
- Dennis Olman who went to Virginia in 1670
Olman Settlers in United States in the 19th Century- John Olman, who arrived in New York, NY in 1822 at the age of 25
| Olman migration to Canada | + |
Olman Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century- Jerry Olman went to New Brunswick, in 1847 at the age of 40
| Olman 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. 6Olman Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century- Ann Olman who went to Barbados in 1655
| Contemporary Notables of the name Olman (post 1700) | + |
- Shirley B. Olman, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Democrats Abroad, 1984 7
| Historic Events for the Olman family | + |
Dunbar - Mr. Henry Olman, Australian seaman who died aboard the ship "Dunbar" when she sunk off the coast of Port Jackson (Sydney Harbour), Australia on 28th August 1857
- Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
- Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
- 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
- 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)
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 7) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
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