Bateman
Originally a medieval personal-name surname, probably meaning “Bate’s man” or “the son/servant of Bate.”
The #1,893 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 16,249 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Bateman is generally treated as a surname formed from the personal name Bate or Baty plus the suffix -man. In medieval English surnames, -man could mean “man of,” “servant of,” or sometimes simply mark descent from a given name, so the sense is roughly “Bate’s man.” The first element Bate is a short form of names such as Bartholomew or, in some cases, other baptismal names that were shortened in everyday use.
History
The name is recorded in medieval English sources, including a 13th-century bearer such as Hugh le Bastimer/Bateman in Yorkshire and another Bateman in Yorkshire noted by Lower. Because the ending -man was sometimes used in personal names and nicknames, 19th-century writers often grouped Bateman with other medieval name-forms of that type. The surname has remained most common in England and later spread widely to other English-speaking countries.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
A related medieval form, Bate, was so common that Bateman is one of several English surnames built from that short nickname plus -man.
From the historical record
“BATEMAN Piarv., note 4, p. 96 ; cf. Latimer for Latincr, q.v. Hugh le Bastimer, co. Hunt?, 1273. A. Huj(h le Bastimer, co. York. W .' 9. Batohelar, Batcheler, Batch- eller, Batohelor, Batehelour, Batohler, Baoheller, Bach-”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (alternate scan)Notable people named Bateman
- Jason Bateman (b. 1969)
Sourced from Wikidata; linked to their Wikipedia page.