NEWMAN
Newman is an English surname of occupational origin that dates back to the pre‑medieval period in the British Isles. The name is derived from the Old English elements neowe meaning “new” and mann meaning “man”. In its earliest usage the term denoted a “new man” or newcomer to a particular locality, and it could also have been applied to a person regarded as innovative or progressive.
The surname is recorded in a variety of spellings throughout England and on the continent. In England the form Newman appears in the Pipe Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1169 (Godwin Nieweman) and in the Sussex record of 1296 (Robert le Nyman). Germanic variants such as Neumann, Neuemann, Nuemann and Nyemann are found in Germany, Switzerland and Austria, reflecting the same Anglo‑Saxon and Germanic roots. The earliest known spelling, Stangrim Noueman, is found in the Norfolk Pipe Rolls of 1166, during the reign of King Henry II.
Throughout the Middle Ages the name was used to identify individuals who had recently arrived in a village or who held a position as a foreman or trusted friend, the latter meaning being implied by the suffix mann. By the seventeenth century members of the Newman family were among the early settlers of British America; for example, Thomas Newman, aged fifteen, departed London aboard the “Plaine Joan” for Virginia in May 1635.
One of the most prominent bearers of the surname was John Henry Newman (1801‑1890), a cardinal of St George’s in Velabro and a leading figure of the Oxford Movement. He resigned his Anglican benefice and entered the Roman Catholic Church in 1845, later being created a cardinal in 1879.
In heraldry, a coat of arms granted to the Neumann family of Berlin displays a red field charged with vertical cannon and surmounted by crossed silver swords. The surname remains relatively common throughout English‑speaking countries and continues to be recorded in a variety of orthographic forms that reflect its Anglo‑Saxon and Germanic heritage.
Typical given names associated with the Newman surname
Male
- Christopher
- David
- James
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Richard
- Robert
Female
- Claire
- Elizabeth
- Emma
- Helen
- Jennifer
- Julie
- Karen
- Margaret
- Mary
- Patricia
- 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 Newman in...
Braille
⠝⠑⠺⠍⠁⠝
Morse
-...----.--.
Semaphore
Did you know?
According to a survey carried out by Democracy Club, politicians and candidates with the surname Newman are most likely to say that their favourite biscuit is a Custard Cream.
There are approximately 42,238 people named Newman in the UK. That makes it the 173rd most common surname in Britain. Around 649 in a million people in Britain are named Newman.
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 Newman
- Paul Newman - American actor and film director (1925 to 2008)
- John Newman - Singer-songwriter
- Cathy Newman - Journalist
- Alec Newman - Scottish actor
- John Henry Newman - Cleric and cardinal (1801 to 1890)
- Nanette Newman - Actress
- Randy Newman - American singer-songwriter
- Kim Newman - Novelist
- Colin Newman - Musician and record producer
- Max Newman - Mathematician (1897 to 1984)
- Alison Newman - Actress
- Emma Newman - Author and podcaster
- Daniel Newman - Actor
- Tom Newman - Record producer and musician
- Augustus Charles Newman - Recipient of the Victoria Cross (1904 to 1972)
- Tony Newman - Rock drummer
- Geraldine Newman - Actress
- Richard Newman - Radio personality
- Michele Newman - Television presenter
- Paul Newman - DJ and 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.