Jules History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The Jules family name is linked to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. Their name comes from the baptismal name Joel. The surname Jules referred to the son of Joel which belongs to the category of patronymic surnames. In Old English, patronyms were formed by adding a variety of suffixes to personal names, which changed over time and from place to place. For example, after the Norman Conquest, sunu and sune, which meant son, were the most common patronymic suffixes. In the 12th and 13th centuries, the most common patronymic names included the word filius, which meant son. By the 14th century, the suffix son had replaced these earlier versions. Surnames that were formed with filius or son were more common in the north of England and it was here that the number of individuals without surnames was greatest at this time.

Early Origins of the Jules family

The surname Jules was first found in Devon where the Testa de Nevill, sive Liber Feodorum, temp. Henry III-Edward I. included three listings of the name as both a forename and a surname: Warin filius Juelis, Henry III Edward I; Juel de Stanhuse; and Juel de Buketon, Devon. 1

"Helias and Robert Juels are mentioned in the Norman Exchequer Rolls of 1180-95. Galfrid, William, and Richard Juel or Joel occur in Huntingdonshire, about 1272 in the Hundredorum Rolls. 'This family derived probably from Juel or Judael de Mayennc, Baron of Totness and Barnstaple, temp. William I.: a Breton noble. He held lands from the Earl of Mortaine, besides his own barony; and a portion of the former, as well as a fief created in the Barony of Totness, seems to have passed to the younger branch names Fitz Juel. Warin Fitz Juel, in 1242, held a knight's fee,which had been granted by the Earl of Mortaine at the Conquest.' " 2

The source Calendarium Genealogicum: Henry III-Edward I had two listings: Jordan filius Juel; and Jordan filius Jowell, 25 Edward I (during the 25th year of King Edward I's reign.) 3

Robert le Jewell, Alicia le Jueler were listed in the Subsidy Rolls for London in 1319. 4

John Jowell, was Sheriff of Norwich, Norfolk in 1486. 5

"Jewell was the name of a gentle family of Bowden in the parish of Berry - Narbor or Berryn - Arbor, near Ilfracombe, [Devon], in the 16th and 17th centuries; to this family belonged John Jewell, the noted Bishop of Salisbury, who was born at Berryn - Arbor in 1522 (W. and Pr.). The name is now well represented in the Bideford district, but still occurs in Berry. Narbor. It has also long been a Cornish name." 6

Early History of the Jules family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Jules research. Another 50 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1522, 1535, 1559, 1560 and 1571 are included under the topic Early Jules History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Jules Spelling Variations

Until the dictionary, an invention of only the last few hundred years, the English language lacked any comprehensive system of spelling rules. Consequently, spelling variations in names are frequently found in early Anglo-Saxon and later Anglo-Norman documents. One person's name was often spelled several different ways over a lifetime. The recorded variations of Jules include Jewell, Jewall, Jule, Joel, Jouel and others.

Early Notables of the Jules family

Notables of this surname at this time include: John Jewell (1522-1571), Bishop of Salisbury. He was "born on 24 May 1522, was the son of John Jewel of Buden, in the parish of Berimber, or Berrynarbor, Devonshire. His mother's name was Bellamy, and at the age of seven he...
Another 48 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Jules Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Jules Ranking

In the United States, the name Jules is the 13,251^st most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 7 However, in France, the name Jules is ranked the 3,748^th most popular surname with an estimated 1,500 - 2,000 people with that name. 8

Migration of the Jules family

Thousands of English families boarded ships sailing to the New World in the hope of escaping the unrest found in England at this time. Although the search for opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad took the lives of many because of the cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels, the opportunity perceived in the growing colonies of North America beckoned. Many of the settlers who survived the journey went on to make important contributions to the transplanted cultures of their adopted countries. The Jules were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records: Thomas and Walter Jewell settled in Virginia in 1635; Robert Jewell settled in Virginia in 1637; Thomas Jewell settled in Boston Massachusetts in 1635..

Contemporary Notables of the name Jules (post 1700) +

Boris Jules Kayser (1938-2024), American theoretical physicist
Lionel Jules Carole (b. 1991), French professional footballer
Jean-Baptiste Jules Bernadotte, Prince de Pontecorvo, French Marshall of the Empire during the French Revolutionary Wars and Napoleonic Wars from 1789 to 1815 9
Yvon Jules Labre (b. 1949), former Canadian professional NHL ice hockey player who played from 1969 to 1981
Jean Jules Linden (1817-1898), Belgian botanist and explorer
Dr. Jules Guyot (1807-1872), French physician and agronomist, best known for his work in viticulture
Keith Jules Dancy (1930-2001), Canadian NHL hockey commentator on Hockey Night in Canada (1952 to 1966)
Aram Jules Pothier (1854-1928), Canadian-born, American politician, two time Governor of Rhode Island (1909-1915) and (1925-1928)
Georges Jules Piquet, Governor General for Inde française in the Second French Colonial Empire under Third Republic
Henri Jules Fornier, Automobile Dealer, Knight of the Legion of Honour, Marseille

Citations +

Testa de Nevill or "Liber Feodorum" or "Book of Fees," thought to have been written by Ralph de Nevill, for King John (1199–1216)
Cleveland, Dutchess of The Battle Abbey Roll with some Account of the Norman Lineages. London: John Murray, Abermarle Street, 1889. Print. Volume 2 of 3
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Rye, Walter, A History of Norfolk. London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, 1885. Print
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
Generals Who Served in the French Army during the Period 1789-1815. (Retrieved 2015, February 11) Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte. Retrieved from http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/c_frenchgenerals.html