Luckman

Luckman is one of those unusual surnames which at first glance seems familiar and fairly obvious, but in fact is rare in numbers and its origin is open to speculation. The most recent published research, although given without any confirmatory recordings, states that it is an occupational form of the Roman (Latin) "Lucas" itself a development of the Ancient Greek "Loucas". The word translates as "bright" or "shining" a meaning which no doubted helped its early "baptismal" popularity, although the later surname from the 12th century on derives from St Luke, the Evangelist. As an occupation surname "Luckman" would indicate that it means "The servant of Lucas" although the Anglo-Saxon suffix "mann" as used here has a variety of meanings including friend, distant relative, or even "follower" as well as servant. However it is also possible that as the first known recordings are 17th century, a period notorious for civil unrest with its consequent effect on education, that the name is a variant perhaps of "Lockman" - a locksmith or keeper of (water) locks, or "Leachman" an early doctor, one who applied leaches. Late Middle English was quite different from todays spoken English, and "sounds like" was the usual method of spelling. As examples of "Luckman" we have Margaret Lickman (!) who married John Coo on October 25th 1607 at St Peters Church, Pauls Wharf, London, whilst on May 25th 1796 Mary Luckman married William Folkes at St Leonards Church, Shoreditch. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Thomas Luckman, which was dated August 20th 1626, a christening witness at St. Dunstans Church, Stepney, London, during the reign of King Charles 1, known as "The Martyr" 1625 - 1649. 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.