MALTMAN
The surname Maltman is found in both English and Scottish records, indicating that it arose in the British Isles during the high medieval period.
It is an occupational name derived from the Middle English word maltman, describing a person who produced malt. Malt was a crucial ingredient for brewing beer and for the manufacture of ale, the latter being a common source of nutrition when water supplies were considered unsafe. The surname therefore identified a maltster, a malt-maker, or a merchant dealing in malt.
Variations of the name recorded in the past include Malt, a short form or nickname perhaps connected with the woman’s name Maud; Malter, Maltmaker, Maltster, Malthouse, and Malthus. The presence of multiple spellings reflects the absence of standardised spelling until relatively modern times.
The earliest known stylised entry appears in the Curia Regis rolls for Northumberland in 1211, where a person is listed as Ralph de Maleterr. A later reference in the Hundred Rolls of Suffolk (1275) names Comitessa Malt, a land‑owning woman whose surname may have descended from either Maud or Malt(er). Additional early examples include Hugh le Maltemakere of Berkshire in 1255, Fulk de Malthus of Sussex in 1297 and John le Malter of Essex in 1319. These records show that the surname was already being used as a hereditary family name by the mid‑13th century.
Because brewing of “small ale” was a vital part of daily life in the medieval English countryside, the occupation of maltster carried a degree of social importance. The surname is therefore among the earliest examples of hereditary surnames that that survived into the modern era, being traceable in legal documents and land rolls from the early 1200s onward.
While the origin of the name is predominantly occupational, its presence in Scotland indicates a similar use of the term in Scottish brewing traditions. The survival of the surname to the present day is a testament to the enduring importance of malt production in British culture.
Typical given names associated with the Maltman surname
Male
- Alan
- Alexander
- Andrew
- David
- James
- Jamie
- John
- Leigh
- Robert
- Scott
- Thomas
- William
Female
- Claire
- Elizabeth
- Jane
- Jean
- Joanne
- Kirsty
- Laura
- Margaret
- Mary
- 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 Maltman in...
Braille
⠍⠁⠇⠞⠍⠁⠝
Morse
--.-.-..---.--.
Semaphore
There are approximately 589 people named Maltman in the UK. That makes it one of Britain's least common surnames. Only around nine in a million people in Britain are named Maltman.
Famous people named Maltman
- Oliver Maltman - Actor
- Christopher Maltman - Operatic baritone
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.