Man
A very old English surname that could mean “servant,” “vassal,” or, more broadly, simply “man.”
The #8,266 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 76,994 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname is usually traced to Old English man, a word meaning “man,” but also used in older English in the sense of “vassal” or “servant.” Some early writers note that it may originally have functioned as a descriptive or status-based byname rather than a fixed hereditary surname. In a few cases it may simply have reflected the common word for “man” itself.
History
The name is attested very early in English records, including the Liber Vitae. Historical surname writers suggested that it could once have been used in an honorable or heroic sense, before the service-based meaning became more prominent. Because the form is so short and common, it is also possible that some later bearers adopted it independently or through simplified spelling.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Old English man could carry a stronger social meaning than modern English “man,” including “retainer” or “follower.”
From the historical record
“+ mann\ MAN "I (Eng.) Vassal, Servant ; Hero MANN/ [O.E. »2a«B, man, vassal, hero] This name is found in the Liber Vitae (gth cent, ff.), and in early times was doubtless often used as an heroic appella- tion : later the notion of vassalage or ser- vice was more fully developed. Previously to paying the iwergild…”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)