Junior History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

The distinguished surname Junior was first brought to England in the wake of the Norman Conquest of 1066. The name is derived from the Old French "engigneor" or "enginior," meaning "engineer, maker of military machines." During the 12th century, the term "ingeniator" was used to refer to men who worked as both master-mason and architect. 1

The Joyner variant is "an occupative term came into use somewhat later than carpenter." 2 Waldinus Ingeniator (the engineer) occurs in the Domesday Book of Lincolnshire, as a tenant in chief. 3

Early Origins of the Junior family

The surname Junior was first found in Yorkshire during the 12th century. The first recorded bearer of the name was Ailnoth Ingeniator, a military architect who served as surveyor of royal buildings in 1157. He supervised building operations at Windsor between 1166 and 1173, repaired Westminster Abbey after a fire, and headed the destruction of Framlingham and Walton Castles. 4

Other early bearers of the name include Richard Lenginnur, recorded in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire between 1191 and 1197, and William Enginur, who was living in Suffolk in 1202. The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list Hugh le Ginnur in Oxfordshire and William le Engynur in Suffolk. 2 William Joynier was Lord Mayor of London in 1239.

Records in Scotland are very scarce, but here the name is a "variant of Jenner, influenced by the occupative name 'joiner.' Alexander Joyner in Aberdeen, 1798. As far as the Jenner variant is concerned, the first on record here was Anneys la Gynnere del counte de Berewyk who rendered homage to King Edward I of England in 1296. "In 1392 there is reference to the tenement of Alan Gynowr in Edinburgh, Patrik Genour held lands in Inverness in 1452, umquhile Thomas Genor is referred to in 1492, Donald Jenor, 'legislator,' is mentioned in 1499, William Genour was tenant of the Casteltoun, Ardmanoch in 1504." 5

Early History of the Junior family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Junior research. Another 175 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1296, 1452, 1564, 1622, 1631, 1637, 1656, 1662, 1668, 1676, 1678, 1687, 1691, 1706, 1707 and 1750 are included under the topic Early Junior History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Junior Spelling Variations

The name Junior, appeared in many references, and from time to time, the surname was spelt Jenner, Joyner, Joiner, Junor, Junior, Genner, Ginner, Genower and many more.

Early Notables of the Junior family

Notable amongst the family name during their early history was David Jenner (died 1691), an English clergyman and controversialist, educated at Trinity College, Cambridge. "Afterwards he became a fellow of Sidney Sussex College, and took the degree of M.A. by royal mandate in 1662, and that of B.D., also by royal mandate, in 1668. He was installed in the prebend of Netherbury in the cathedral church of Salisbury 28 June 1676, and was instituted on 15 Oct. 1678 to the rectory of Great Warley, Essex, which he resigned in or about October 1687. He was likewise chaplain to the king. He...
Another 137 words (10 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Junior Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Junior Ranking

In the United States, the name Junior is the 12,396^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 6

Junior migration to the United States +

The New World beckoned as many of the settlers in Ireland, known as the Scotch/Irish, became disenchanted. They sailed aboard the armada of sailing ships known as the "White Sails" which plied the stormy Atlantic. Some called them, less romantically, the "coffin ships." Amongst the early settlers who could be considered kinsmen of the Junior family, or who bore a variation of the surname Junior were

Junior Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

William Junior, who settled in Virginia in 1641
William Junior, who arrived in Virginia in 1641 7

Junior Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Sarah Junior, who landed in New York in 1847 7
Sarah Junior, who was living in New York in 1847
A Henry Junior, who landed in St Clair County, Illinois in 1864 7
Carl H Junior, who arrived in St Clair County, Illinois in 1864 7

Contemporary Notables of the name Junior (post 1700) +

Cary M. Junior, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate in primary for supervisor of Royal Oak Township, Michigan, 2004 8
John Brogden Junior (1832-1855), English Fellow of the Geological Society and a Member of the British Association, the eldest son of John Brogden
Keith Raymond Stackpole Junior (b. 1940), former Victorian and Australian cricketer from Collingwood, Australia
Joe Junior Christensen (1929-2021), American president of Ricks College (1985 to 1989) and a general authority in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1989 until his death
Louis Junior Grasmick (1924-2016), American Major League Baseball pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies in 1948 and later became a noted businessman and philanthropist who founded the Louis J. Grasmick Lumber Company in 1951
Nathan Junior Caton, English comedian, winner of the Chortle Student Comedian of the Year award in 2005
Otis Junior Nixon Jr. (b. 1959), American retired Major League Baseball center fielder and switch-hitter
Mario Junior Rondón Fernández (b. 1986), Venezuelan footballer
John Junior Lomax (b. 1966), New Zealand former rugby league player
Pharmacist's Mate First Class Francis Junior Pierce (1924-1986), American soldier awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor in 1945 for actions in the Battle of Iwo Jima during World War II

Citations +

Hanks, Patricia and Flavia Hodges, A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988. Print. (ISBN 0-19-211592-8)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 28) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html