OLDMAN
Oldman is a surname of English origin, deriving from the Middle English word old, which in turn traces back to the Old English pre‑7th‑Century word eald, meaning aged, elder or wise. The latter part of the name, man, simply denotes a male individual. Collectively, the surname was likely first applied as a nickname to an older or wiser man, or to distinguish an elder from a younger bearer of the same given name.
The earliest documented instance of the name appears in the “Old English Bynames” of Kent in 1060, under the spelling Wulfstan Ealda, during the reign of King Edward the Confessor (1042‑1066). Other early records include a marriage in 1694 London between James Auld and Margretta Brown at St. James', Dukes Place, where the surname is rendered as Auld.
Variations of the surname have emerged over the centuries, including Aldman, Alderman, Allman, Oldeman, Aldmand, Olman, Ollman, and Oulman. These forms can be found in the southern counties of Sussex, Surrey and Kent, and have also appeared in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, South Africa and India, reflecting the migration of English families abroad.
A heraldic description linked to the Oldman family records an ermine field with a red chief bearing two silver griffins respecting each other. The crest shows a cherub's head proper, wings in saltire. The family motto, Virtute et constantia, translates from Latin as “By valour and constancy.” Such arms indicate that the name, while originally a simple sobriquet, accrued social standing in medieval England.
By the 11th and 12th centuries the surname had established a foothold in England, particularly in southern regions. In the 13th century the name appears in Northumberland, and later in Lincolnshire, where it was associated with a large estate. The name spread to the Anglophone world through successive waves of emigration, and today it is recorded across the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. In these countries, individuals bearing the name are often of English, German or Polish descent, with the surname appearing in various linguistic contexts.
Notable contemporary bearers of the surname include the British actor Gary Oldman, the creator of the classic video game series Tomb Raider, Toby Gard, and the Chilean footballer Thomas Oldman. These individuals illustrate the global presence of the name in modern times.
Typical given names associated with the Oldman surname
Male
- Alexander
- Anthony
- Colin
- David
- Derek
- Gary
- Graham
- John
- Mark
- Paul
- Peter
- Philip
- Richard
- Robert
Female
- Dorothy
- Jane
- Janet
- Karen
- Kathryn
- Margaret
- Patricia
- Rebecca
- Sarah
- Susan
How to communicate the surname Oldman in...
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There are approximately 721 people named Oldman in the UK. That makes it roughly the 9,488th most common surname in Britain. Around 11 in a million people in Britain are named Oldman.
Famous people named Oldman
- Gary Oldman - Actor, screenwriter, director, producer, musician
- Maureen Oldman - Actress
- Albert Oldman - Super heavyweight boxer (1883 to 1961)
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.