DENMAN
Denman is a surname of purely English origin. It derives from Old English elements that describe a person's dwelling place: denu, meaning “valley”, and mann, meaning “man”. As a result, the name originally identified someone who lived in or near a valley.
The name is sometimes considered a variant of Denham, itself formed from denu and the Old English ham “homestead”. In either interpretation the surname points to a topographical circumstance, rather than to a professional occupation or a patronymic lineage.
Written records of the name appear in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. The earliest surviving reference is to a William Deniman recorded in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1314. In 1332 the Subsidy Rolls of Surrey mention an Adam Deneman, and the Poll Tax rolls of Yorkshire of 1379 contain the names Richard le Denne, Thomas de Denne and Adam Denman. By the eighteenth century the family had moved into professional and public life: Thomas Denman the elder, born in 1733, trained as a surgeon and served in the Navy before becoming a physician at Middlesex Hospital; his son, Thomas Denman born in 1779, was educated at Cambridge, was called to the bar in 1806 and later served as Attorney‑General (1830) and Speaker of the House of Lords (1835), before being created the first Baron Denman.
Throughout England the surname remains recognisable and is associated with a sense of continuity and stability. While it no longer ranks among the very most common surnames, it is still represented in various counties, particularly in the south‑east, and has been borne by several distinguished members of the civil service, judiciary, and medical profession.
Related forms of the name include Denmann, Denham, Deaman and Dewman. These variations largely reflect regional spelling differences that have evolved over the centuries, but each can be traced back to the same Old English roots that give rise to the modern spelling Denman.
Typical given names associated with the Denman surname
Male
- Christopher
- David
- James
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Philip
- Richard
- Robert
Female
- Ann
- Catherine
- Elizabeth
- Emma
- Joanna
- Joanne
- Linda
- Lisa
- Margaret
- Mary
- Samantha
- Sarah
- Susan
- Wendy
Similar and related surnames
- Denyer
- Deman
- Demann
- Demman
- Daneman
- Degnan
- Danman
- Demnan
- Deiman
- Deenan
- Deeman
- Deaman
- Denam
- Danemann
- Danneman
- Dannemann
- Demain
- Demans
- Denain
- Denan
- Denean
- Denhan
- Denian
- Denmade
- Denmaid
- Denmain
- Denmar
- Denmead
- Denmon
- Dennam
- Dennan
- Densman
- Denyan
- Deyman
- Deynan
- Dienemann
- Dinman
- Donman
- Downman
- Dunman
- Dunmon
- Taneman
- Tenman
- Tinman
- Tunman
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Denman in...
Braille
⠙⠑⠝⠍⠁⠝
Morse
-...-.--.--.
Semaphore
There are approximately 2,753 people named Denman in the UK. That makes it roughly the 3,245th most common surname in Britain. Around 42 in a million people in Britain are named Denman.
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 Denman
- David Denman - American actor
- Paul Denman - Musician
- Thomas Denman, 3rd Baron Denman - Politician (1874 to 1954)
- Richard Denman - Politician (1876 to 1957)
- Charles Denman, 5th Baron Denman - Baron and businessman (1916 to 2012)
- John Leopold Denman - Architect (1882 to 1975)
- John Denman - Cricketer
- Gareth Denman - Rugby union player
- George Denman - Rower, barrister, Liberal politician and High Court judge (1819 to 1896)
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.