Selman Family History

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Selman Name Meaning

English: nickname for a happy or fortunate man, from Middle English seely ‘happy’, ‘fortunate’ + man, German Mann ‘man’. English: from the Middle English female personal name Seely (see Seeley 1), or of the nickname Sele (see Seal 4) + man ‘servant’, hence an occupational name for a servant employed by a bearer of either of these names. Jewish (Ashkenazic): from the Yiddish personal name Zelman, a pet form of Zalmen (see Salmon).

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press


Similar surnames: Elman, Kelman, Sellman, Seaman, Salman, Belman, Helman, Salmon

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Selman Ethnicity Estimate

What are the common regions with the Selman name?

These results combine data from everyone in the AncestryDNA® database with the last name Selman. The Ancestry® ethnicity regions shown are top five most common on average for these people.

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  • England & Wales

    55%

  • Ireland & Scotland

    21%

  • Germanic Europe

    6%

  • European Jewish

    5%

  • Norway

    3%

Your own DNA-based ethnicity estimate will differ from what you see here. To get your personalized ethnicity estimate, order an AncestryDNA® kit.order an AncestryDNA® kit.

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Selman Family Origin

Where is the Selman family from?

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You can see how Selman families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Selman family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Selman families were found in the USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 132 Selman families living in Wiltshire. This was about 23% of all the recorded Selman's in the UK. Wiltshire had the highest population of Selman families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Selman surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

View Census Data for Selman

Selman Family Occupations

What did your Selman ancestors do for a living?

In 1881, the most common Selman occupation in the UK was Carpenter. 6% of Selman's were Carpenters. Carpenter, Agricultural Labourer and Laundress were the top 3 reported jobs worked by Selman. A less common occupation for the Selman family was Ag Labourer.

View Census data for Selman | Data not to scale

  • Carpenter

    6%

  • Agricultural Labourer

    3%

  • Laundress

    3%

  • Ag Labourer

    2%

Census records can tell you a lot of little known facts about your Selman ancestors, such as occupation. Occupation can tell you about your ancestor's social and economic status.

Selman Historical Records

What Selman family records will you find?

Census Record

There are 26,000 census records available for the last name Selman. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Selman census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search 1891 UK census records for Selman

Passenger List

There are 2,000 immigration records available for the last name Selman. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Selman immigration records

Draft Card

There are 3,000 military records available for the last name Selman. For the veterans among your Selman ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Selman military records

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Selman Life Expectancy

What is the average Selman lifespan?

Between 1943 and 2004, in the United States, Selman life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1943, and highest in 1984. The average life expectancy for Selman in 1943 was 39, and 70 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Selman

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Selman ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

Famous Selman Family Ancestors

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