SPEAKMAN
Speakman is an English surname that originates from the medieval period. It is a compound of the Middle English word speche, meaning 'speech', and the Old English word mann, meaning 'man'. The combination indicated an individual who fulfilled the role of a spokesperson or an advocate within a local community or in legal and political matters. Consequently, the surname is believed to have been originally used as an occupational name for those who possessed a talent for public speaking or who were entrusted with addressing crowds or representing others.
Early documentary evidence shows that the name was recorded in a variety of forms, including Nigel Spakeman in the Pipe Rolls of Essex in 1195 during the reign of King Richard I. The Hundred Rolls of Kent and Oxford, dated 1275, contain references to a Henry Spakeman, an Isolda Spekeman and a Richard Spekeman, indicating that the surname had become established in several counties of England. In 1297 the name appears in the Minister's Accounts of the Earldom of Cornwall as William Spekeman, while in 1578 a John Speakman, a husbandman from Astley, is listed in the Wills Records held at Chester. By the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries the surname also appears in parish registers, such as the marriage of Alice Speakman and George Chorlton in Manchester in 1595 and of Gervas Speakman to Sarah Shaw in Nottingham in 1696.
Over the centuries the spelling of the surname varied, producing forms such as Speakman, Spakeman, Spackman and Spekeman. Although the name is now predominantly seen as Speakman, all these variations are recognised as descendants of the same medieval root. As a family name it has remained relatively uncommon, yet it carries a clear indication of a person’s social function within their medieval community, and it continues to be used throughout the United Kingdom and across the English-speaking world.
Typical given names associated with the Speakman surname
Male
- Andrew
- David
- James
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Paul
- Philip
- Robert
- Stephen
Female
- Ann
- Catherine
- Christine
- Emma
- Julie
- Margaret
- Mary
- Michelle
- Nicola
- Samantha
- Sharon
- Susan
- Victoria
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 Speakman in...
Braille
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Morse
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There are approximately 2,745 people named Speakman in the UK. That makes it roughly the 3,254th most common surname in Britain. Around 42 in a million people in Britain are named Speakman.
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 Speakman
- William Speakman-Pitt - Soldier, Recipient of the Victoria Cross (1927 to 2018)
- Sam Speakman - Football player
- Harry Speakman - Scottish rugby union player (1864 to 1915)
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.