Leman

This interesting surname is of Anglo-Saxon origin, and derives from the Olde English pre 7th Century personal name "Leofman", Middle English "Lefman", which is composed of the elements "leof", dear, beloved and "mann", man; this is a rare given name of which only three pre Conquest examples are known. The name was reinforced by the popular Middle English term "lem(m)an", lover, sweetheart, often used as a nickname for a lover or sweetheart, and originally a compound of the same Olde English elements as above. Other surnames from this source include: Loveman, Lowman, Luffman, Leamon, Leeman, Lemmon, Lemon and Limon. The personal name appears as "Leman" in the Domesday Book for Hampshire (1086), while the surname itself first appears in the late 12th Century (as below).Other early examples include: William Luveman, in the Register of the Freemen of Leicester, 1196 - 1770, in 1221; Aumfridus Leofman, in the 1221 Assize Court Rolls of Worcestershire; and William Lemmon, in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire of 1275. George Leaman married Mary Thorowgood on July 24th 1659 at St.Dunstan's, Stepney, London. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Reiner Leman, which was dated 1185, in "Records of the Knights Templars in England in the 12th Century" (Essex), during the reign of King Henry 11, known as "The Builder of Churches", 1154 - 1189. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.