Wittman
A surname usually understood as “wise man” or “man of wit,” though some forms may also be Germanic nickname developments.
The #7,061 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 65,150 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The name is usually explained as a compound of wit, meaning intelligence or quick understanding, plus man. In English surname tradition, that gives the sense of “a man of wit” or “wise man.” German forms with the same spelling can also arise from similar nickname patterns, so the surname may not have a single origin everywhere it occurs.
History
The surname is comparatively uncommon in the United States and appears in records as both Wittman and related forms such as Witman. Nineteenth-century surname writers treated it as a descriptive nickname surname, and later references also suggest that some examples may be linked to other medieval name forms rather than only the plain English “wit + man” analysis.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Old surname books sometimes glossed Wittman very literally as “a man of wit,” showing how transparently many nickname surnames were read by early etymologists.
From the historical record
“Witman. Wit, wit ; fiaii, a man. A witman ; a man of wit. Wittman, of kindred significance. i63 Witmer. Wit, wit; nicer e, famed. Wit-famed. Wittmer,”
— Family Names from the Irish, Anglo-Saxon, Anglo-Norman and Scotch