Pitman

Pitman
This interesting surname recorded in the spellings of Pitman, Pittman, Pettman and Putnam, is of Anglo-Saxon origins. It is a topographical surname used in the first instance for someone who lived by a pit or a hollow in the ground, perhaps a quarry. The derivation is from the Olde English pre 7th Century word "pytt", pit, hole, cavity, which also appears, though rarely, in some English placenames, such as "Pett" in Kent, meaning "(place by) the pit or hollow", and "Woolpit" in Suffolk and in Surrey which have the picturesque meaning of "the pit for trapping wolves". Initially topographical surnames were among the earliest created, since both natural and man-made features in the landscape provided easily recognisable distinguishing names in the small communities of medieval England. In the this case the surname became occupational and topographical, in that it gradually described both where a person lived and in this case the work they carried out. The suffix 'mann' used in this context describes one who worked in or perhaps owned a 'pit'. Early examples of the name recording include Johanes Pittman who married Alicia Spratt at the famous church of St. Martin in the Fields, London, on July 25th 1633, and Andrew Pitman, who married at St Dionis Backchurch, London, on April 19th 1645. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Urban Piteman, which was dated 1203, a witness at the Assize Court of Northampton, during the reign of King John, known as "Lackland", 1199 - 1216. 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.

Surnames reference. 2013.

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  • Pitman — may refer to: * Pitman, New Jersey * Pitman Shorthand, a system of shorthand * Pitman arm, a vehicle steering component * A connecting rod in an engine * Pitman (Game Boy), a Game Boy game * Pitman Press, a British publisher * Pitman Publishing,… …   Wikipedia

  • Pitman — ist der Familienname folgender Personen: Herbert Pitman (1877–1961), dritter Offizier der RMS Titanic Isaac Pitman (1813–1897), Ausarbeiter einer Kurzschrift Jacob Pitman (1810–1890), Architekt Joe Pitman (* 1924), US amerikanischer Gewichtheber… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Pitman — Pitman, Sir Isaac, Erfinder des verbreitetsten englischen Stenographiesystems, geb. 4. Jan. 1813 in Trowbridge (Wiltshire), gest. 22. Jan. 1897 in Bath, war zuerst Volksschullehrer und veröffentlichte als Vorsteher des Kollegs zu Barton on Humber …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Pitman — Pitman, NJ U.S. borough in New Jersey Population (2000): 9331 Housing Units (2000): 3653 Land area (2000): 2.293609 sq. miles (5.940420 sq. km) Water area (2000): 0.026479 sq. miles (0.068580 sq. km) Total area (2000): 2.320088 sq. miles… …   StarDict's U.S. Gazetteer Places

  • Pitman, NJ — U.S. borough in New Jersey Population (2000): 9331 Housing Units (2000): 3653 Land area (2000): 2.293609 sq. miles (5.940420 sq. km) Water area (2000): 0.026479 sq. miles (0.068580 sq. km) Total area (2000): 2.320088 sq. miles (6.009000 sq. km)… …   StarDict's U.S. Gazetteer Places

  • Pitman — Pit man, n.; pl. {Pitmen}. 1. One who works in a pit, as in mining, in sawing timber, etc. [1913 Webster] 2. (Mach.) The connecting rod in a sawmill; also, sometimes, a connecting rod in other machinery. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Pitman — Pitman, Isaak, Begründer des in England verbreitetsten Stenographiesystems (Phonography), geb. 1813 zu Trowbridge (Wiltshire), Lehrer an der von ihm 1839 gegründeten Schule in Bath, 1894 in den Ritterstand erhoben, gest. 21. Jan. 1897 in London;… …   Kleines Konversations-Lexikon

  • PITMAN — Publishing Limited, London/John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, Toronto (Research Notes in Theoretical Computer Science) (informationswissenschaftl. Veoeffentlichungen) …   Acronyms

  • PITMAN — Publishing Limited, London/John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, Toronto (Research Notes in Theoretical Computer Science) (informationswissenschaftl. Veröffentlichungen) …   Acronyms von A bis Z

  • Pitman — [pit′mən] Sir Isaac 1813 97; Eng. inventor of a system of shorthand …   English World dictionary

  • pitman — [pit′mən] n. 1. pl. pitmen [pit′mən] a person who works in a pit; esp., a coal miner ☆ 2. pitmans [pit′mənz ] a type of connecting rod that changes axial motion into linear motion, as in a steering system …   English World dictionary

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