English
The surname Boatman is of English and Scottish origin. It is derived from the Middle English given name 'Bat( t )e', a pet form or diminutive of Bartholomew; a common medieval name. The name Bartholomew is of New Testament origin, the name of an apostle named in all the synoptic gospels ( Mathew, Mark, Luke ) and in the Acts of the Apostles. It is an Aramaic formation meaning 'son of Talmai', and has been assumed by many scholars tp be a byname of the apostle Nathaniel. 'Talmai' is a Hebrew name, said to mean 'abounding in furrows' (Numbers 13:22), i.e. rich in lands. As a given name in Christain Europe, it derived its popularity from the apostle St. Bartholomew, the patron saint of tanners, vinters, and butlers, about whom virtually nothing is known. The name may also be an occupational one derived from the Old English 'bat', Northern Middle English 'bat', used for a boatmen. It may also derive from the Old Norman 'bati', 'dweller by the fat pasture'. The name dates back to the twelfth century were a Rogerus filius Bate is recorded in historical archives. The name was brought to America by English and Scottish immigrants. One of the first fore fathers to bring this name to America is that of a John Bates, a hatter by trade, who emigrated to America aboard the Hawk; he settled in Philadelphia. This name is the two-hundredth and fifty-ninth most common surname in America.