Show ContentsRedman History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Strongbownian invaders added their Norman conventions for surnames to the previously established Irish system for hereditary surnames. One of the most frequent forms of surnames for both cultures was the patronymic surname, which was formed from the name of the bearer's father or grandfather. The Norman tradition that the followers of Strongbow brought with them created such a surname through diminutive suffixes such as -ot, -et, -un, -in, or -el. Occasionally, two suffixes were combined to form a double diminutive, as in the combinations of -el-in, -el-ot, -in-ot, and -et-in. The Normans also formed patronymic surnames in a manner very similar to the Irish: they added a prefix to their father's name. These Anglo-Norman people, however, used the prefix Fitz-, which was derived from the French word fils, and ultimately from the Latin filius, which both mean son. Although this prefix probably originated in Flanders or Normandy, it can now only be found in Ireland. The surname Redman is derived from the personal name Raymond, which is derived from the Old French forenames Raimund and Raimond. These are derived from the Old German personal name Raginmund, which literally means counsel-army or might-army. The Gaelic form of the surname Redman is Réamonn.

Early Origins of the Redman family

The surname Redman was first found in County Wexford (Irish: Loch Garman), founded by Vikings as Waesfjord, and located in Southeastern Ireland, in the province of Leinster. Alexander Redmond, the first of this family who bore the surname was of the same stock as the Earl of Pembroke whom he accompanied to Ireland in 1170. 1

While generally known today as an Irish family, we must take moment to explore the branch of the family that stayed in England, specifically at Yealand-Redmayne in Lancashire. " Anciently, Yealand-Conyers and Yealand-Redmayne appear to have formed one district. In the Testa de Neville it is stated, that 'Mathew de Redeman and Robert de Kemyers, or Cynyers, held the eighth part of a knight's fee in Yeland, of the fee of William de Lancaster, the king's tenant in chief;' hence the origin of the additions to the name. The Conyers and Redmayne families were long connected with Yealand." 2 3

Early History of the Redman family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Redman research. Another 128 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1415, 1426, 1499, 1505, 1541, 1546, 1551, 1570, 1594, 1602 and 1691 are included under the topic Early Redman History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Redman Spelling Variations

Since church officials and medieval scribes spelt each name as it sounded to them; as a result, a single person could accumulate many different versions of his name within official records. A close examination of the origins of the name Redman revealed the following spelling variations: Redmond, Reddman, Reddmon, Redman, Reddan, Redmon, Redmand, Readmond, Redmaynd, Redmayne, Reddmayne, Redmane, Reddmane, Reddane, Redmoyne, Redmoynd, Redmain, Redmaine, Redmoine, Reddmyne, Redmyn, Reddmin, Redmin, Redmind and many more.

Early Notables of the Redman family

Notable amongst the family up to this time was

  • Dr John Redman (1499-1551), English churchman and academic, the first Master of Trinity College, Cambridge (1546-1551)
  • Sir Richard Redman (or Redmayne) (died 1426), British soldier, administrator and politician, Speaker of the House of Commons for the Parliament of 1415
  • Richard Redman (died 1505), Bishop of St Asaph, Bishop of Exeter, and Bishop of Ely

Redman Ranking

In the United States, the name Redman is the 2,492nd most popular surname with an estimated 12,435 people with that name. 4


United States Redman migration to the United States +

Ireland's Great Potato Famine left the country's inhabitants in extreme poverty and starvation. Many families left their homeland for North America for the promise of work, freedom and land ownership. Although the Irish were not free of economic and racial discrimination in North America, they did contribute greatly to the rapid development of bridges, canals, roads, and railways. Eventually, they would be accepted in other areas such as commerce, education, and the arts. An examination of immigration and passenger lists revealed many bearing the name Redman:

Redman Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • William Redman, who settled in Virginia in 1636
  • Mary Redman, who settled in Virginia with her husband in 1652
  • Peter Redman, who arrived in Virginia in 1658 5
  • Thomas Redman, who landed in Virginia in 1664 5
  • Joan Redman, who landed in Virginia in 1664 5
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Redman Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • George Redman, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1746 5
  • Hans Redman, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1749 5
  • Patrick Redman, aged 24, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1775 5
Redman Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Timothy Redman, who arrived in America in 1809 5
  • Mathew Redman, who landed in Charleston, South Carolina in 1820 5
  • Andrew Redman, aged 21, who landed in America in 1822 5
  • Joshua Redman, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1841 5
  • James Redman, who arrived in Washington County, Pennsylvania in 1844 5
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Canada Redman migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Redman Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Michael Redman, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1749
  • Amos Redman, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1750
  • Mary Redman, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1750

Australia Redman migration to Australia +

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

Redman Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Jonah Redman, English convict from Gloucester, who was transported aboard the "Asia" on July 29th, 1823, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 6
  • Mr. James Redman, (b. 1806), aged 20, English convict who was convicted in Bedford, Bedfordshire, England for life, transported aboard the "England"on 28th April 1826, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 7
  • Mr. William Redman, (b. 1815), aged 21, English farmer who was convicted in Gloucester, Gloucestershire, England for 7 years for house breaking, transported aboard the "Eden" on 27th August 1836, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he died in 1875 8
  • Mr. John Redman, English convict who was convicted in Liverpool, Lancashire, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "Barossa" on 27th August 1841, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 9
  • Mr. William Redman, English convict who was convicted in Bedford, Bedfordshire, England for 15 years, transported aboard the "Barossa" on 9th May 1844, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 9
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

New Zealand Redman 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:

Redman Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Charles Redman, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Maraval" in 1880

West Indies Redman 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. 10
Redman Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century
  • Thomas Redman, who settled in Barbados in 1635

Contemporary Notables of the name Redman (post 1700) +

  • Richard Clark "Rick" Redman (1943-2022), American AFL and NFL football linebacker with the San Diego Chargers for nine seasons, inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1995
  • Isaac Redman (b. 1984), American NFL football running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers
  • Michele Redman (b. 1965), American professional LPGA golfer
  • Joshua Redman (b. 1969), American jazz saxophonist and composer
  • Jamie Redman (b. 1986), American two-time gold and silver medalist rower
  • Dr. John Redman (1722-1808), American first president of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia
  • Donald Matthew Redman (1900-1964), American jazz musician, arranger, bandleader and composer
  • Edith B. Redman, American politician, Prohibition Candidate for Presidential Elector for Michigan, 1964, 1968 11
  • Charles Edgar Redman (b. 1943), American politician, U.S. Ambassador to Sweden, 1989-92; Germany, 1994 11
  • Charles E. Redman, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Wisconsin, 1936 11
  • ... (Another 23 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

HMS Dorsetshire
  • Roland Aylmer Redman (d. 1945), British Leading Stoker aboard the HMS Dorsetshire when she was struck by air bombers and sunk; he died in the sinking 12
HMS Royal Oak
  • Alfred Redman, British Able Seaman with the Royal Navy Reserve aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he survived the sinking 13


  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. Testa de Nevill or "Liber Feodorum" or "Book of Fees," thought to have been written by Ralph de Nevill, for King John (1199–1216)
  4. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  5. 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)
  6. State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Asia 1 voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1823 with 151 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1823
  7. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th April 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/england
  8. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 20th October 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eden
  9. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/barossa
  10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
  11. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 9) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  12. Force Z Survivors HMS Dorsetshire Crew List, (Retrieved 2018, February 13th), https://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listdorsetshirecrew.html
  13. Ships hit by U-boats crew list HMS Royal Oak (08) - (Retrieved 2018 February, 9th) - retrieved from https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/crews/ship68.html


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