INMAN
Inman is a surname of English origin, first recorded in the late fourteenth century. Its earliest documented appearance is in a 1379 Poll Tax return for the county of Yorkshire, where the name is given as Willelmus Inman. This initial entry occurs during the reign of King Richard the First, who ruled from 1377 to 1399.
The etymology of Inman may be approached from two principal lines of evidence. One view derives the name from the Old English personal name Inge or Ing, itself a short form of compound names such as Ingald or Ingel. The element Ing is associated with the Germanic deity Ingvi‑Freyr, an apotheosis of fertility and peace. The suffix -man denotes a servant or person connected to the root name, so that the literal interpretation becomes “servant of Ing” or “follower of Ing.”
A second, well-attested interpretation treats the surname as an occupational designation. Medieval records describe it as an English word formed from inn, meaning a lodging house where alcoholic beverages were served, and man, a keeper or foreman. In this sense, Inman would have been used for an innkeeper, a role that became hereditary only when a son, or sometimes a grandson, took over the family business. Such occupational surnames are among the earliest recorded in England yet were the last to achieve hereditary status.
Variants of the name that appear in historical documents include Ingman, Innman, Henman and possibly Hyman. Baptismal and matrimonial records from the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries at St. Mary's, Bedford, and St. Martins in the Fields, Westminster, provide examples of the name: for instance, the christening of Elizabeth, daughter of Robert Inman, on 11 February 1547, and that of Thomas Hyman on 8 September 1549. A marriage record from 10 June 1754 documents Daniel Ingman marrying Elizabeth Davis at St. Martins in the Fields.
While some scholars have suggested a connection to the Old English pre‑seventh‑century personal name Ingemund—a compound of Ing and mund, meaning protection—this hypothesis has not been conclusively proven. The predominant evidence supports an occupational origin rooted in the innkeeping profession, supplemented by the patronymic lineage associated with the name Ing and a divine reference to Ingvi‑Freyr.
Typical given names associated with the Inman surname
Male
- Andrew
- Christopher
- David
- James
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Paul
- Richard
- Robert
Female
- Christine
- Claire
- Elizabeth
- Jane
- Janet
- Julie
- Margaret
- Mary
- Rachel
- Rebecca
- Sarah
- Susan
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 Inman in...
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Morse
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Did you know?
According to a survey carried out by Democracy Club, politicians and candidates with the surname Inman are most likely to say that their favourite biscuit is a Choco Leibniz.
There are approximately 3,471 people named Inman in the UK. That makes it roughly the 2,635th most common surname in Britain. Around 53 in a million people in Britain are named Inman.
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 Inman
- John Inman - Actor (1935 to 2007)
- Brad Inman - Football player
- Roy Inman - Judoka (1946 to 2015)
- Philip Inman, 1st Baron Inman - Lord Privy Seal (1892 to 1979)
- Niall Inman - Irish football player
- Melbourne Inman - Snooker and billiards player (1878 to 1951)
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.