Show ContentsRyman History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Ryman family

The surname Ryman was first found in West Prussia and Pomerelia, where the name emerged in mediaeval times as one of the notable families in the western region. From the 13th century onwards the surname was identified with the great social and economic evolution which made this territory a landmark contributor to the development of the nation.

Early History of the Ryman family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ryman research. Another 94 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1741 and 1786 are included under the topic Early Ryman History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ryman Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Reiman, Reimann, Ryman and others.

Early Notables of the Ryman family

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

Ryman Ranking

In the United States, the name Ryman is the 16,377th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1


United States Ryman migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Ryman Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Nicholas Ryman, who landed in Virginia in 1639 2
  • William Ryman, who arrived in Maryland in 1668-1679 2

New Zealand Ryman 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:

Ryman Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • James Ryman, aged 28, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Rodney" in 1875
  • Caroline Ryman, aged 26, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Rodney" in 1875
  • James Ryman, aged 5, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Rodney" in 1875
  • George Ryman, aged 1, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Rodney" in 1875

Contemporary Notables of the name Ryman (post 1700) +

  • Thomas "Tom" Green Ryman (1841-1904), known as Capt. Tom Ryman, American riverboat captain and riverboat company owner and businessman from Tennessee who built the Union Gospel Tabernacle, later known as the Ryman Auditorium, a live performance venue and National Historic Landmark in Nashville
  • Herbert Dickens Ryman Jr. (1910-1989), American artist and Disney Imagineer who worked in watercolor, oils, and pen & ink sketches, in 1953 Ryman drew the first illustrations of Walt Disney's vision of a theme park that eventually became Disneyland
  • Cordy Ryman (b. 1971), American artist based in New York City, son of artist Robert Ryman (1930-2019)
  • Will Ryman (b. 1969), American artist known for his large-scale sculptures and public art projects
  • Tommy Ryman (b. 1983), American stand-up comedian who was a semifinalist on Season 8 of the TV show Last Comic Standing
  • Geoff Ryman (b. 1951), American award-winning author of science fiction
  • Robert Ryman (b. 1930), American painter whose works have been exhibited in the Guggenheim, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Whitechapel Art Gallery, and the Tate Gallery
  • Henry J Ryman, British entrepreneur, founder of Ryman, a stationery retail company now with 205 outlets nationwide in the United Kingdom in 1893
  • John Ryman (b. 1930), former British Labour Party Member of Parliament
  • Ryman Herr, American Republican politician, Chair of Hunterdon County Republican Party, 1927 3


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. 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)
  3. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, May 19) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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