Blackman, Originally Blæcmann, is an Old English name meaning "dark-haired" or "dark-complexioned".
The name was once given to Danish Vikings who settled in southern Scotland.
Variations: Blackmann, Blachman, Blackmun, Blackmon, Blakeman.
Depending on how the old Anglo-Saxon blaec or blac were translated, the surname could also have had the exact opposite meaning from the above.
In the United States at least, some eastern European immigrants in the early 20th century changed their surnames to "Blackman" as an Anglicisation of their original more conspicuously ethnic names, such as "Blechmann."