Blackman
A surname that usually meant “the dark-complexioned man,” though in some cases it may also have come from an old descriptive nickname or byname.
The #2,535 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 21,624 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname is generally explained as a nickname from black + man, literally “black man” or “dark man,” used for someone with a dark complexion or dark hair. Older English sources also show forms like Blacheman and Blachemannus, which support an early medieval descriptive origin. In some places it may have developed from the same descriptive habit that produced surnames such as White, Whiteman, and Greenman.
History
Lower noted the name in Anglo-Saxon charters and among Domesday-era forms, suggesting an early English presence. Later English records preserve Blackman and variant spellings such as Blakeman. The name also appears in place-name evidence like Blackmanstone in Kent, which may preserve an early bearer’s name.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Lower specifically remarked that one Domesday bearer may have given his name to Blackmanstone in Kent.
From the historical record
“hair. So Whitelock, Silverlock, kc. BLACKMAN. A baptismal name originally derived from the personal quality of a darJi comi3lexion. It is common in A-Sax. charters, and several persons called Blacheman and Blachemannus occur in Domesd. as holders antecedently to the making of that survey. One of these is in Kent…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom