Jarman

Jarman is a surname of English origin. It is found in the United Kingdom and in countries with historical British diaspora, including Canada, Australia, and the United States. The precise etymology is uncertain; scholars have proposed several possibilities, such as derivation from a medieval given name incorporating the element man, or from a toponymic or descriptive source. Historical records show the name in various spellings, reflecting dialectal variation and orthographic changes over time.

Notable people with the surname include Derek Jarman (1942–1994), an English filmmaker, stage designer, painter, diarist, and writer, known for experimental films such as Jubilee (1978) and Sebastiane (1979), as well as Blue (1993). He was also an advocate for LGBTQ rights and a vocal commentator on the AIDS crisis in the 1980s and early 1990s. Beyond Derek Jarman, the surname is carried by other individuals in diverse fields, though none have the same prominence in public life.

In usage, Jarman primarily appears as a family name rather than a given name or place name. It is associated in popular memory with creative and cultural figures of the English-speaking world, most notably Derek Jarman, whose body of work has been influential in independent cinema and queer cultural history.