Gorman
A surname with several possible roots, most often treated as a descendant of an Irish ancestor-name meaning “son of Gorman,” though some English and Scottish forms may be linked to older personal names or nicknames.
The #1,100 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 9,713 Americans shares it.
Etymology
In Irish usage, Gorman comes from Ó Gormáin, meaning “descendant of Gormán,” a personal name built on gorm, “blue” or “dark-hued,” with a diminutive ending. The surname therefore began as a family-name of descent from an ancestor called Gormán. English and Scottish writers also discussed some Gorman forms as variant spellings or later reshaping of older personal names such as Gormund, so not every bearer necessarily shares the same origin.
History
The name is well established in Ireland and later spread widely through emigration, especially in the English-speaking world. In older English surname studies, Gorman was sometimes grouped with similar-looking surnames and treated as a possible development from Gormund, but Irish Ó Gormáin is the clearest and most important source for the modern surname. The form also appears in related spellings such as O'Gorman and Mac Gorman in historical records.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The Gaelic root gorm also appears in other surnames and place-names, where it usually refers to a dark or blue color rather than the modern surname itself.
From the historical record
“in Mem. Soc. Antiq. Normandie, 1825. GORMAN". Gornuind is an old Scot'ti- cism for the Fr. guurmand, an enormous eater, a glutton. GORME. Three lakes in Scotland are so called. GORRING. GORRINGE. Sussex sur- names, and doubtless modifications of the ancient local name Goring in that county. As in the case of…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom