Spearman
An occupational surname for a soldier or warrior armed with a spear or pike.
The #4,330 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 37,656 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Spearman is an occupational surname built from Middle English and Old English words for a spear, especially Old English "spere". It originally meant a man who fought with or carried a spear, and in some contexts could overlap with "pike-man" or other infantry terms. The name is straightforwardly descriptive: it identifies a person by weapon-bearing role rather than by place or family line.
History
The surname appears in medieval English records and was later discussed by surname writers as a transparent military occupation name. It belongs to the broad class of surnames formed from weapons, fighting roles, and other day-to-day medieval occupations. Modern bearers usually inherit the name through family descent rather than any direct ancestral link to a spearman in the literal sense.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
19th-century writers often grouped Spearman with vivid nickname surnames like Shake-spear and Shake-lance, all built from the image of a spear-wielding fighter.
From the historical record
“Richard Spekeman. — Hund. Rolls- SPEAR (Eng.) i meton. for a Spearman [M.E. O.E. spere, a spear] 2 a form of Spyer, q.v. SPEARING (Eng.) i representing an A.-Sax.”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)