Sherman Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Sherman last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
Order your pack and our heraldry team researches and paints the Sherman coat of arms for you.
Meaning and origin of the Sherman last name
Meaning of the Sherman last name: shearer of cloth. Sherman comes from old words for "shears" and "man", an occupational name for a man who sheared the nap of woollen cloth to give it a smooth finish. It is most common in East Anglia and the south-east, the old heart of the English wool trade. A curious detail: several Sherman families sailed from Essex and Suffolk to New England in the 1630s, and their descendants include the Civil War general William Tecumseh Sherman.
Arms associated with the Sherman name
Medieval English knights painted their arms on shields and surcoats so they could be recognised in battle, the world in which Sherman heraldry grew.
Get your full Sherman family history
This is only a glimpse of the Sherman story. The full Sherman history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted Sherman coat of arms. Get the full Sherman report.
Sherman name FAQ
What does the Sherman name mean?
Shearer of cloth. Common variants include Shearman, Sharman, Schermann.
Where does the Sherman surname come from?
It originates in England, and is also found in the United States, Australia and Canada.
Is there a Sherman coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Sherman coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Researched by Herald Lab Research Studio, since 1993. Sources: Reaney & Wilson, Dictionary of English Surnames; Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford); US Census Bureau 2010.