YEATMAN
Origins The surname Yeatman is an English surname that originates from the British Isles, specifically England. It is a traditional occupational or topographical name that reflects an early association with gates and entrances.
Etymology The name is derived from the Old English words geat, meaning “gate”, and mann, meaning “man”. It was originally applied to a person who lived near a town gate, or who was employed in the maintenance or operation of a gate. The surname may also denote a person who kept or guarded a gate, a role of importance in medieval English villages and towns.
Regional Variants In the West Country the name appears in several spelling forms – Yateman, Yetman, Yatman and others. It is considered a dialectal variant of the name Yates, which itself reflects the same Old English root. The form Yeatman was recorded as early as the seventeenth century in Dorset, Somerset and London.
Historical Records The earliest recorded individual bearing the name is Elener Yeatman, who lived in Bruton, Somerset, and whose name was documented on 26 July 1579 during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. In 1585 Elizabeth Yetman of Marnhull, Dorset, married John Watts. John Yateman was christened at St James’ Church, Clerkenwell, London, on 1 March 1603. A notable entry in colonial records is that of William Yeatman of the Parish of St. Peters, Barbados; according to the colony’s first census of 15 December 1679 he owned ten acres of land.
Heraldry The coat of arms granted to the Yeatman family of Stock House, Dorset is described as: per pale silver and black, on a gold fess dovetailed, between two gates in chief and a goat’s head in base, three red boar’s heads. This heraldic badge further reinforces the link between the family and the symbolism of gates and vigilance.
Modern Usage Today the surname Yeatman remains a recognised English family name. While it is less common than some of its variants, it continues to be carried by individuals who trace their ancestry to the same medieval occupational or topographical origins.
Typical given names associated with the Yeatman surname
Male
- Andrew
- Colin
- David
- Graham
- James
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Nicholas
- Paul
- Peter
- Richard
- Robert
Female
- Alison
- Angela
- Ann
- Anne
- Charlotte
- Claire
- Dorothy
- Elizabeth
- Linda
- Margaret
- Michelle
- Rebecca
- Sarah
- Yvette
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 Yeatman in...
Braille
⠽⠑⠁⠞⠍⠁⠝
Morse
-.--..----.--.
Semaphore
There are approximately 666 people named Yeatman in the UK. That makes it one of Britain's least common surnames. Only around ten in a million people in Britain are named Yeatman.
Surname type: Occupational name
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
