Show ContentsTempleman History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Templeman

What does the name Templeman mean?

This distinguished name Templeman literally means "'Servant of the Templars', 'one who lived on one of their manors'. The surname was not uncommon in Cambridgeshire where the Templars had manors at Isleham and Duxford, still called The Temple and Temple Farm respectively. The real name of Ricardus serviens Templariorum, employed in some capacity at the West Hanningfield manor of the Templars in 1277, was, no doubt, Richard Templeman, a variation of that of John de Templo, connected with the same neighbourhood in 1248. " 1

Early Origins of the Templeman family

The surname Templeman was first found in Yorkshire where William Templeman was recorded in the Feet of Fines for 1240. Later, Reginald Templeman was listed in the Feet of Fines for Cambridgeshire and Arabrose le Templeman was found in the Hundredorum Rolls for Cambridgeshire in 1279. 1

The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 included an entry for Willelmus Tempulman. 2

Up in Scotland, "Robert Templeman witnessed a resignation by Thomas Strachan of Glenkindy, 1406. Thomas Templeman was sergeant for the sheriffdom of Edinburgh in 1450, payment was made to David Tempilman in 1503, and another David Templeman, messenger within the shirefdome of Wigtoun, is mentioned in 1505 and 1517. John Tempilman had 'ane respet' for slaughter in 1527, David Tempilman is recorded in Irvine, 1537, and in 1565 mention is made of the heir of the late Annibill Tempilman, one of the portioners of the temple-lands of Ardersier. Andrew Templeman, heir of Richard Temileman, portioner of Pitfar, 1685." 3

Early History of the Templeman family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Templeman research. Another 64 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1450, 1478, 1512, 1515, 1520, 1711, 1736, 1739, 1749, 1766, 1769 and 1825 are included under the topic Early Templeman History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Templeman Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Templeman include Templeman, Templemane and others.

Early Notables of the Templeman family

  • Nicholas Templeman (c. 1478-1520), of Dover, Kent, an English politician. He was a Member of Parliament (MP) for Dover in 1512 and 1515
  • Peter Templeman, M.D. (1711-1769), was an English physician, eldest son of Peter Templeman (d. 1749), a solicitor at Dorchester, by his wife Mary, daughter of Robert Haynes. He was educated at the Cha...

Templeman Ranking

the United States, the name Templeman is the 14,457th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 4 However, in Newfoundland, Canada, the name Templeman is ranked the 483rd most popular surname with an estimated 98 people with that name. 5

Migration of the Templeman family to Ireland

Some of the Templeman family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 73 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Templeman migration to the United States +

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Templeman or a variant listed above:

Templeman Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Conrad Templeman, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1743 6
  • William Templeman who settled in Carolina in 1774
  • Edward Templeman, who settled in Maryland in 1774
  • William Templeman, aged 28, who arrived in Carolina in 1774 6
Templeman Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • John Templeman, who landed in America in 1807 6

Templeman migration to Canada +

Templeman Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century
  • Reverend Evered Marsh Wigram Templeman who settled in St. Matthews, Quebec, Canada, in 1906

Templeman migration to Australia +

Templeman Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • David Templeman, English convict from Devon, who was transported aboard the "Asia" on October 22nd, 1824, settling in New South Wales, Australia 7
  • Mr. Ebenezer Templeman, (b. 1821), aged 11, Scottish labourer who was convicted in Perth, Scotland for 14 years, transported aboard the "Camden" on 21st September 1832, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 8
  • Miss Susan Templeman, English convict who was convicted in London, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Elizabeth" on 20th June 1836, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 9

Templeman 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:

Templeman Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • James H. Templeman, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Isle of Bute" in 1879

Contemporary Notables of the name Templeman (post 1700) +

  • Clark "Shorty" Templeman (1919-1962), American racecar driver
  • Ted Templeman (b. 1944), American record producer
  • Simon Templeman, American voice actor
  • Alfie George Templeman, (born 26 January 2003) is an English singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer
  • Peter Templeman (1711-1769), English physician, eldest son of Peter Templeman (d. 1749), a solicitor at Dorchester
  • Geoffrey Templeman CBE, DL, FSA (1914-1988), English former Vice Chancellor, University of Kent
  • Mr. Peter Andrew Templeman B.E.M., British Curriculum Technician in Carpentry and Joinery for Oaklands College in Hertfordshire was appointed the British Empire Medal on 8th June 2018, for services to Technical Education
  • David Alan Templeman (b. 1965), Australian politician
  • Chris Templeman (b. 1980), Scottish footballer
  • ... (Another 1 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

SS Newfoundland
  • Mr. Philip Templeman (b. 1895), Newfoundlander from Newtown, who on the 30th March 1914 he was part of the Seal Crew of the "SS Newfoundland" leaving the ship to intercept the Stephano which took him to the hunting grounds, he disembarked to begin sealing, but was caught in a thickening storm, attempting to return to the Newfoundland he and the 132 crew made camp for two days the sealers were stranded on the ice in a blizzard attempting to return to the ship, he survived
  • Mr. Thomas Templeman (b. 1890), Newfoundlander from Newtown, who on the 30th March 1914 he was part of the Seal Crew of the "SS Newfoundland" leaving the ship to intercept the Stephano which took him to the hunting grounds, he disembarked to begin sealing, but was caught in a thickening storm, attempting to return to the Newfoundland he and the 132 crew made camp for two days the sealers were stranded on the ice in a blizzard attempting to return to the ship, he survived


  1. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  2. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  3. Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
  4. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  5. The order of Common Surnames in 1955 in Newfoundland retrieved on 20th October 2021 (retrieved from Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland by E.R. Seary corrected edition ISBN 0-7735-1782-0)
  6. 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)
  7. State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Asia 1 voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1824 with 9 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1824
  8. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 2nd December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/camden
  9. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 11th March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elizabeth


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