Tasman (name)


Tasman is a rare family name in the diaspora of Dutch people. The distribution of people with the surname varies from about 6000 in Indonesia to small numbers in Australia and New Zealand, while by 2007 only seven people with the name lived in the Netherlands. The most notable bearer of this name was the Dutch explorer Abel Tasman.

Origin

Cornelis Gerritsz Tasman of Schellinkhout was an early 17th century skipper on the 140-ton ship De Tas, literally "the bag". At the time it was common for ship captains to adopt the name of their ships. The family Tas or Tasman - not related to Abel Janszoon Tasman, who came from Lutjegast in Groningen - counted so many seamen in the late 1600s that their ships were divided in color: De Zwarte Tas of Jan Tasman, De Groene Tas of Pieter Janszoon Tasman, De Roode Tas of Pieter Corneliszoon Tasman and De Witte Tas of Wigger Tasman.

People

People with the name include:

Surname

Given name