KIDMAN
The surname Kidman is of English origin. According to linguistic evidence it is derived from the Old English elements cyne meaning “royal” or “noble” and mann meaning “man”. Consequently the literal meaning of the name may be interpreted as “royal man” or “noble man”, implying that the original bearer was a person of some importance or possessed noble qualities.
In addition, the name has an earlier Scandinavian influence, suggesting that it may have been an occupational or nicknaming term. The Old Norse root kith and the Middle English word kid(e) for a young goat combine with mann to give a meaning such as “goatherd” or a man in charge of goat kids. An alternate derivation involves the Middle English kidde, meaning a bundle of twigs or faggot, therefore the name could also have been an occupational designation for a seller of faggots. This dual provenance explains the early medieval usage of the name in both England and Scandinavia.
The earliest surviving record of the name is found in the “Book of Ely”, Norfolk, in the year 1221, under the spelling Richard Kidemann. This entry occurs during the reign of King Henry The Frenchman (1216–1272). The name subsequently appears in the Hundred Rolls of Norfolk in 1275 as Alan Kydeman, confirming the persistence of the surname throughout the 13th century.
In modern times the Kidman surname remains common in the county of Cambridgeshire, yet it has achieved greater prevalence in Australia from the 19th century onwards. The most prominent bearer of the name in Australia was Sir Sidney Kidman (1857–1935), born near Adelaide, South Australia, who earned the sobriquet “Cattle King”. His pastoral enterprises made him, at one stage, the largest landowner in the British Empire, and a significant proportion of Australian namebearers can trace their lineage to him.
As a result of these historical developments, the John Smith of the modern era may identify themselves with a surname that carries both an English and a Scandinavian heritage, a name that has survived in records for eight centuries and continues to be borne by people across the British Isles and Australia alike.
Typical given names associated with the Kidman surname
Male
- Alex
- Andrew
- Brendon
- Charles
- Christopher
- David
- James
- John
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Robert
- Stephen
- William
Female
- Claire
- Elizabeth
- Helen
- Joanne
- Julie
- Laura
- Mary
- Patricia
- Penny
- Rebecca
- Sarah
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 Kidman in...
Braille
⠅⠊⠙⠍⠁⠝
Morse
-.-..-..--.--.
Semaphore
Did you know?
According to a survey carried out by Democracy Club, politicians and candidates with the surname Kidman are most likely to say that their favourite biscuit is a Shortbread.
There are approximately 726 people named Kidman in the UK. That makes it roughly the 9,437th most common surname in Britain. Around 11 in a million people in Britain are named Kidman.
Famous people named Kidman
- Nicole Kidman - Australian-American actress and film producer
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.