BATEMAN
Bateman is an English surname of antiquarian origin. Its earliest attestations appear in the early thirteenth century in the north and south of England.
The name is regarded as an occupational or descriptive surname. In the oldest records it is linked either to a nickname based on the Old English words bata, meaning “good” or “excellent”, and mann, meaning “man”, or to a patronymic connection with the name Bartholomew. Thus the surname may have been applied to a person considered a “good man” or to a follower or descendant of a man named Bartholomew, the former patron saint of the church.
In the early medieval period the name appears in a variety of spellings. The Assize Court Rolls of Chester record a witness named Alexander Bateman in 1260, during the reign of Henry II. Other early instances include William Bateman in Worcester in 1275, and John Baytman in Yorkshire in 1553. In the London church registers of the sixteenth century the surname occurs in christenings and marriages: Amos son of William Bateman was christened on 6 September 1562 at St. Andrew Undershaft; Agnes Bateman married Lawrence Morris on 15 May 1574 at St. Nicholas Acons; and Abraham son of John Bateman was christened on 14 June 1584 at St. Botolph without Aldgate.
These numerous early references demonstrate that the name was widely used across England, from rural counties to the urban parish of London. The variety of medieval spellings – Bateman, Batman, Battman, Baitman – also reflects the linguistic fluidity of the period.
Today the surname Bateman continues to be borne by families of English descent throughout the British Isles and abroad. Its origins as a descriptor of personal virtue or as a patronymic relationship remind us of the way in which naming practices were intimately tied to social identity in the medieval age.
Typical given names associated with the Bateman surname
Male
- Andrew
- Christopher
- David
- James
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Paul
- Richard
- Robert
Female
- Christine
- Claire
- Elizabeth
- Emma
- Jane
- Julie
- Margaret
- Patricia
- Sarah
- Susan
- Victoria
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Bateman in...
Braille
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Morse
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Semaphore
Did you know?
According to a survey carried out by Democracy Club, politicians and candidates with the surname Bateman are most likely to say that their favourite biscuit is a White Chocolate Chip Cookie.
There are approximately 15,746 people named Bateman in the UK. That makes it the 561st most common surname in Britain. Around 242 in a million people in Britain are named Bateman.
Surname type: Occupational name
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Bateman
- Tom Bateman - Actor
- Jason Bateman - American television and film actor, born 1969
- Victoria Bateman - Economist
- Justine Bateman - American actress
- Nick Bateman - Radio presenter
- Allan Bateman - Welsh rugby union and rugby league football player
- John Bateman - Rugby league player
- H. M. Bateman - Artist and cartoonist (1887 to 1970)
- Greg Bateman - Rugby union player
- Meg Bateman - Scottish writer
- Thomas Bateman - Dermatologist (1778 to 1821)
- Harry Bateman - Mathematician (1882 to 1946)
- Jessie Bateman - Actress (1877 to 1940)
- Marcus Bateman - Rower
- James Bateman - Painter (1893 to 1959)
- James Bateman - Horticulturist (1811 to 1897)
- Arthur Bateman - Football player (1918 to 1984)
- Ashley Bateman - Rugby league player
- Ben Bateman - Football player (1892 to 1)
- Edwin Bateman - (1880 to 1)
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.