Heitman
A name most likely from a German personal name meaning “little one” or “young one,” though it may also be a variant spelling of related German surnames.
The #9,291 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 88,137 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Heitman is most plausibly a German surname built from a personal name such as Heit, a short form related to Middle High German heit, meaning “person” or “individual,” or from a similar nickname-based name stem. The final element -man is a common Germanic surname ending meaning “man” or “person connected with.” In some cases, surnames of this type developed as patronymic or descriptive family names from a forebear’s given name or byname.
History
The name appears in German-speaking regions and later in countries of German immigration, especially the United States. In English-language records it may also represent a spelling adapted from similar German names such as Heitmann or Heideman. Because spelling was often fluid in migration and census records, the modern form can cover more than one related family line.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Names ending in -man or -mann are common in German surnames and often reflect an older personal name, occupation, or descriptive origin rather than literally meaning “man” in the modern sense.