Recorded in the spellings of Beriman, Berriman, Berryman, Beryman and the late dialectal Midlands spelling of Berryann, this unusual name is pre 7th century Olde English and later Olde French. It derives from the word 'burri or berri', translating as a fortress or castle and means 'one who dwelt at the castle'. The suffix 'man' also indicates that it was job descriptive for a guard or keeper of the castle. The surname, with or without a suffix, can be seen locationally in the place name Bury, as found in several parts of the country or Berry Brow, a village in Yorkshire, and Berry Pomeroy, a village and castle in the county of Devon. Early examples of the surname recording include Alexander Beriman, who was recorded in the Pipe Rolls of Berkshire in 1176, whilst Samuel Beriman appears in the students register for Oxford University in 1587. The first recorded spelling of the family name is believed to be that of Edricus Buriman. This was dated 1148, in the Pipe Rolls of Hampshire, during the reign of King Stephen of England. He was also known as the 'Count of Blois', from his vast estates in France. He reigned 1135 to 1154. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop", often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.