Sleeman History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The Anglo-Saxon name Sleeman comes from the baptismal name Soloman, an ancient font name. Patronymic surnames arose out of the vernacular and religious given name traditions.The vernacular or regional naming tradition is the oldest and most pervasive type of patronymic surname. In the religious naming tradition, which was developed later than the vernacular tradition, surnames were bestowed in honor of religious figures or church officials. In Europe, the Christian Church was one of the most powerful influences on the formation of given names. Personal names derived from the names of saints, apostles, biblical figures, and missionaries are widespread in most European countries. In the Middle Ages, they became increasingly popular because people believed that the souls of the deceased continued to be involved in this world. They named their children after saints in the hope that the child would be blessed or protected by the saint.

Early Origins of the Sleeman family

The surname Sleeman was first found in Devon where they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D.

Early History of the Sleeman family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Sleeman research. Another 91 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1474, 1574, 1623, 1629 and 1684 are included under the topic Early Sleeman History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sleeman Spelling Variations

One 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 Sleeman has appeared include Sleeman, Slimon, Slimmon, Slimmen, Sleman, Slemon and many more.

Early Notables of the Sleeman family

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

Sleeman 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 Sleeman arrived in North America very early:

Sleeman Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Jane Sleeman, who arrived in New York, NY in 1811 1
Mr. John Sleeman, (b. 1863), aged 26, Cornish carpenter departing from Liverpool aboard the ship "Etruria" arriving in New York, USA on 22 April 1889 2

Sleeman migration to Australia +

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

Sleeman Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Jane Sleeman, aged 22, a servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1851 aboard the ship "Ascendant" 3
Jane Sleeman, aged 22, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "The Ascendant" in 1851 3
Jonathan Sleeman, aged 22, a miner, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Thomas Arbuthnot"
Mr. John Sleeman, (b. 1831), aged 24, English groom, from Panareswick, Devon, England, UK travelling aboard the ship "Mangerton" arriving in New South Wales, Australia on 29th July 1855 4
Mrs. Jane Sleeman, (b. 1820), aged 35, Cornish settler, from Stoke Climsland, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "Mangerton" arriving in New South Wales, Australia on 29th July 1855 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Sleeman 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:

Sleeman Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Sleeman, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Thomas Harrison" arriving in Nelson, South Island, New Zealand on 28th October 1842 5
Miss Ann Sleeman, (b. 1852), aged 21, Cornish settler departing on 13th May 1873 aboard the ship "Mary Shepherd" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 20th August 1873 6
Miss Ellen Sleeman, (b. 1854), aged 19, Cornish domestic servant departing on 13th May 1873 aboard the ship "Mary Shepherd" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 20th August 1873 6
Mrs. Harriet Sleeman, (b. 1851), aged 21, Cornish settler departing on 22nd November 1872 aboard the ship "Himalaya" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 3rd March 1873 6
Miss Jane Sleeman, (b. 1847), aged 26, Cornish domestic servant departing on 13th May 1873 aboard the ship "Mary Shepherd" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 20th August 1873 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Sleeman (post 1700) +

Anita Sleeman (1930-2011), American-born, Canadian contemporary classical music composer
Mrs. Elaine Sleeman B.E.M., British recipient of the British Empire Medal on 8th June 2018, for services to Music
Derek H. Sleeman, British Emeritus Professor of Computing Science at the University of Aberdeen, Scotland
Fred Sleeman (b. 1885), Australian rules footballer who played for Melbourne in 1906
George Sleeman (1841-1926), Canadian brewer, sports executive and politician, Mayor of Guelph, Ontario (1880-1882) and (1905-1906)
John W. Sleeman, Canadian brewer, great great grandson of John H. Sleeman who restarted the Sleeman Brewery in Guelph, Ontario which was purchased by Sapporo Brewery in 2006
Stuart Colin Sleeman (1914-2006), British judge, Assistant Judge Advocate General
Frank Northey Sleeman (1915-2000), Australian politician, Lord Mayor of Brisbane from 1976 to 1982
Sir William Henry Sleeman (1788-1856), British soldier and administrator in British India, born in Stratton, Cornwall
John H Sleeman, founder of Sleeman Breweries, Guelph, Ontario in 1834

Citations +

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)
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, April 30). Emigrants to New York 1820 - 1891 [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_new_york_1820_1891.pdf
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The ASCENDANT 1851. Retrieved http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1851Ascendant.htm
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_nsw_1850_59.pdf
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, April 30). Emigrants to Lyttelton 1858-84 [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/new_zealand_assisted.pdf