Shipman Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Shipman last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
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Meaning and origin of the Shipman last name
Meaning of the Shipman last name: sailor. Shipman is an English surname from Old English scipmann, "sailor, shipmaster", and in some families from shepman, "shepherd". Chaucer gave one of his Canterbury pilgrims the title of Shipman, a master mariner from Dartmouth. This last name is found in the Midlands and the south, and families carried it to New England.
Arms associated with the Shipman name
In English heraldry, coats of arms associated with the Shipman name are described in a blazon, a short formal text.
Get your full Shipman family history
This is only a glimpse of the Shipman story. The full Shipman history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted Shipman coat of arms. Get the full Shipman report.
Shipman name FAQ
What does the Shipman name mean?
Sailor. Common variants include Shepman.
Where does the Shipman surname come from?
It originates in England, and is also found in the United States, Canada and Australia.
Is there a Shipman coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Shipman coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Sources: Reaney & Wilson, Dictionary of English Surnames; Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford).