Weisman
A surname of German origin, most likely meaning “wise man.”
The #7,707 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 71,668 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Weisman is most plausibly built from German weise meaning “wise” and Mann meaning “man,” giving the literal sense “wise man.” In Jewish and German naming practice, this could arise either as a descriptive nickname or as a surname formed under German influence from the same transparent elements. The related forms Weismann and Weiser seen in older sources point to the same general word family.
History
The name appears in German-speaking areas and was also adopted by Jewish families in Central and Eastern Europe, where German-based surnames were common. In English-language records it often shows up alongside spellings such as Weismann and Weiser. Modern bearers are especially associated with German-American and Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Older surname writers often grouped Weisman with other German names built from plain adjective-plus-noun combinations, because its meaning is almost self-explanatory.
From the historical record
“Witts, Weiser, Weisheit (" wisdom "), Weiskopf (" white head "), Weisman, Weismann, and Mr. Wun- DER. DuNTZ is a family name in the British peerage. Mr. Oldknow was a British volunteer, 1804. Prof. Silliman, of Yale College, stands high among our men of science. This name is perhaps a corruption of Seligman (from…”
— Suffolk Surnames (3rd ed.)