Bridgeman
A surname for someone who lived by, worked at, or was otherwise connected with a bridge.
The #7,520 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 69,789 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Bridgeman is a Middle English surname built from bridge + man. In early records it could mean a man whose work or office was connected with a bridge, especially someone involved in tolls, maintenance, or local administration. In some cases it may also have begun as a topographic name for someone living near a bridge.
History
Historical sources note that bridgeman could be used almost interchangeably with related office names in medieval documents, and the surname appears in English records from at least the Middle Ages. It later spread as a family name in England and is also found in Ireland in anglicized form, though that does not necessarily mean every modern bearer shares the same origin. The surname is probably independent in multiple places, since bridge-related names often arose locally.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Older sources point out that ‘bridgeman’ was once an actual local office title, not just a descriptive surname.
From the historical record
“in the following has given birth to many of this name : ' John Bridgeman (1577-1653), bishop of Cheater, was bom at Exeter. His grandfather . . . had, with other issue, two sons, Hichael the eldest, . . . and Thomas, of Greenway, Devonshire ' : Diet. NaL Biog. vi.”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with special American instances