Show ContentsPutmant History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Anglo-Saxon name Putmant comes from when the family resided in Puttenham, a place-name found in the counties of Hertfordshire and Surrey. [1] [2] Both place-names have an identical etymology. They are derived from the Old English word ham, which means farm, and either the Old English personal name Putta, or the Old English word putta, which means hawk. The place-name taken as a whole means "farm belonging to Putta," or "farm where there are hawks." [3]

Early Origins of the Putmant family

The surname Putmant was first found in Hertfordshire at Puttenham, a small village and parish, in the union of Berkhampstead, hundred of Dacorum. [4] The parish is listed as Puteham in the Domesday Book of 1086. [5] [1]

Puttenham, Surrey is another parish in the First division of the hundred of Godalming. [4] The first record of this local was in 1199 when it was listed as Puteham. [3]

Puttenham Priory is a large house at the eastern end of the village and dates back to 1266. St John the Baptist church "occupies a picturesque situation close to the mansion of Puttenham Priory, is in the later English style, and contains some ancient brasses." [4]

One of the first records of the family was Ralph de Puteham who was listed in the Curia Regis Rolls of 1205 for Berkshire. [6]Later we found Richard de Puteham in Buckinghamshire in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273. [7]

Early History of the Putmant family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Putmant research. Another 92 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1520, 1529, 1588, 1589, 1590, 1601, 1615, 1621, 1651, 1679, 1686, 1692, 1699, 1716 and 1774 are included under the topic Early Putmant History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Putmant Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, French and other languages became incorporated into English through the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Putmant include Puttenham, Putnam, Putman and others.

Early Notables of the Putmant family

Notables of this surname at this time include: George Puttenham (1529-1590), English writer who is the reputed author of "The Arte of English Poesie" (1589). His brother Richard Puttenham (1520?-1601?) has also been credited as the author of the same source. The issue is that the publication was issued anonymously in 1589. "The full title ran: 'The Arte of English Poesie, contrived into three bookes; the first of Poets and Poesie, the second of Proportion, the third of Ornament,' London, by Richard Field, 1589. It was licensed to Thomas Orwin on 9 Nov. 1588, and Orwin transferred it to Richard Field...
Another 143 words (10 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Putmant Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Putmant family

A great wave of immigration to the New World was the result of the enormous political and religious disarray that struck England at that time. Families left for the New World in extremely large numbers. The long journey was the end of many immigrants and many more arrived sick and starving. Still, those who made it were rewarded with an opportunity far greater than they had known at home in England. These emigrant families went on to make significant contributions to these emerging colonies in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants: John Putnam, who settled in Salem in 1630; A. M. G.F. H.W. J. Putnam arrived in San Francisco in 1850; David Putnam settled in Boston in 1820; Amy Putman was banished to Barbados in 1685.



  1. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  2. Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
  3. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  4. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  5. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  6. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  7. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)


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