Show ContentsJeanne History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Jeanne surname is a patronymic name created from the personal name Jan, which was a Middle English variant of the name John, or as "son of Jan." [1]

Early Origins of the Jeanne family

The surname Jeanne was first found in Cornwall, where a record in the Ministers' Accounts of the Earldom of Cornwall shows a Simon Ianes in 1297. A John Janne was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Cornwall in 1327, and a William Jan was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Somerset in that same year. [2]

Kirby's Quest listed Robert Janes and William Janes, both in Somerset temp. 1 Edward III. [3]

Jane or Johanna (d. 1445), Queen of Scotland, "was the daughter of John Beaufort, earl of Somerset. Her mother was Margaret, daughter of Thomas Holland, second earl of Kent, and niece of Richard II, who became after her first husband's death Duchess of Clarence. James I, King of Scotland, when a prisoner at Windsor, saw her walking in the garden of the castle, fell in love at first sight, and wrote the story of his love in the 'Kingis Quair.' The marriage, which suited the English rulers, and was made one of the conditions of his release, took place at St. Mary Overy Church in Southwark on 12 Feb. 1424. " [4]

Early History of the Jeanne family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Jeanne research. Another 156 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1275, 1438, 1449, 1480, 1499, 1500, 1510, 1600, 1611, 1620, 1621, 1625, 1640, 1643, 1645, 1660, 1662, 1680, 1707 and 1716 are included under the topic Early Jeanne History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Jeanne Spelling Variations

Norman surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are largely due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England, as well as the official court languages of Latin and French, also had pronounced influences on the spelling of surnames. Since medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings. The name has been spelled Janes, Jans, J'Anes, Jeanne, Jeynes, Jayne, Jane and many more.

Early Notables of the Jeanne family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Thomas Jane (Jan) (died 1500), English clergyman, Archdeacon of Essex (1480), Bishop of Norwich (1499-1500.) He was born at Milton Abbas, Dorsetshire, and educated at Winchester School, where he became a scholar in 1449. [4]Joseph Jane (fl. 1600-1660), controversialist, was sprung of an old family which had long been influential in Liskeard, Cornwall. His father was mayor there in 1621, and in 1625 Jane represented the borough in parliament. In 1625 he was himself mayor of Liskeard, and...
Another 86 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Jeanne Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Jeanne Ranking

In France, the name Jeanne is the 551st most popular surname with an estimated 8,472 people with that name. [5]

Migration of the Jeanne family

Many English families emigrated to North American colonies in order to escape the political chaos in Britain at this time. Unfortunately, many English families made the trip to the New World under extremely harsh conditions. Overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the stormy Atlantic. Despite these hardships, many of the families prospered and went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the United States and Canada. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the name Jeanne or a variant listed above: Mary and Thomas Janes, who settled in Virginia in 1652; Joseph Janes, who arrived in Northampton, MA in 1658; Joane Janes, who arrived in Maryland in 1667.


Contemporary Notables of the name Jeanne (post 1700) +

  • Mary Jeanne Kreek (1937-2021), American neurobiologist specializing in the study and treatment of addiction, best known for her work on the use of methadone therapy for heroin addiction
  • Phyllis Jeanne Somerville (1943-2020), American stage, film, and television actress, best known for her roles in Little Children (2006)
  • Linda Jeanne Bement (b. 1941), American model and beauty queen, the third Miss USA to be crowned Miss Universe in 1960
  • Linda Jeanne Furney, American former politician, Member of the Ohio Senate (1987-2002)
  • Nan Jeanne Aspinwall Gable Lambell (1880-1964), American equestrian, the first woman to ride on horseback across North America alone (1910-1911)
  • Bonnie Jeanne Dunbar PH.D. (b. 1949), American former NASA Astronaut with over 1,208 hours in space, former president and CEO of The Museum of Flight until April 2010 [6]
  • Amy Jeanne Trask (b. 1961), American former CEO of the Oakland Raiders
  • Wilma Jeanne Cooper (1928-2013), American Emmy Award winning actress, best known for her role as Katherine Chancellor on the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless (1973–2013)
  • D. Jeanne Wycoff, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Illinois, 1972 [7]
  • Jeanne Sylvanie Arnould- Plessy (1819-1897), French stage actress, born in Metz, France


  1. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  2. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  3. Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.
  4. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  5. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
  6. NASA Astronauts Homepage. (Retrieved 2010, September 27) Bonnie Dunbar. Retrieved from http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/dunbar.html
  7. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 15) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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