Reman History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

Etymology of Reman

What does the name Reman mean?

Irish surnames are linked to the long Gaelic heritage of the Island nation. The original Gaelic form of the name Reman is Ó Riagain. In County Waterford, the Gaelic form Ó Reagain is used.

Early Origins of the Reman family

The surname Reman was first found in County Meath (Irish: An Mhí) anciently part of the kingdom of Brega, located in Eastern Ireland, in the province of Leinster, where they held a family seat from very ancient times.

One of the oldest records of the family was Morice Regan (fl. 1171), an Irish interpreter. He is stated in an old French poem, of which the only text begins 'Par soen demeine latimer.' He is thought to have acted as an interpreter and herald, or envoy in the service of Diarmaid MacMurchada, King of Leinster. 1

Early History of the Reman family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Reman research. Another 137 words (10 lines of text) covering the year 1172 is included under the topic Early Reman History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Reman Spelling Variations

The scribes who created documents long before either the Gaelic or English language resembled their standardized versions of today recorded words as they sounded. Consequently, in the Middle Ages the names of many people were recorded under different spellings each time they were written down. Research on the Reman family name revealed numerous spelling variations, including Reagan, Regan, O'Regan, O'Reagan and others.

Early Notables of the Reman family

More information is included under the topic Early Reman Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Reman migration to the United States +

Suffering from poverty and racial discrimination, thousands of Irish families left the island in the 19th century for North America aboard cramped passenger ships. The early migrants became settlers of small tracts of land, and those that came later were often employed in the new cities or transitional work camps. The largest influx of Irish settlers occurred with Great Potato Famine during the late 1840s. Although the immigrants from this period were often maligned when they arrived in the United States, they provided the cheap labor that was necessary for the development of that country as an industrial power. Early immigration and passenger lists have revealed many immigrants bearing the name Reman:

Reman Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Nich Reman, who landed in Virginia in 1654 2

Reman Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Jacob Reman, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1753 2

Sources +

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)