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Jone History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Jone History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Wales
Ireland

The distinguished surname Jone is derived from the given name "John," which is itself derived from the Hebrew name "Johanan," meaning "Jehovah has favored."

"This baptismal name, which is of Norman introduction, has rarely passed into a surname. The London Directory for 1852 affords but one instance." 1

The name was brought to England in the wake of the Norman Conquest of 1066, and was extremely popular throughout Europe in the Middle Ages as a result of the numerous connections between the name John and the Christian Church.

Early Origins of the Jone family

The surname Jone was first found in Lincolnshire, borne by Alanus filius Jene in 1275. Other early bearers of the name include Willelmus filius Gene, who was recorded in the Rotuli Hundredorum of Yorkshire in 1276, Walterus filius Jone, who was living in Huntingdonshire in 1279, and Thomas John, who was a resident of Buckinghamshire in 1279. 2

In Somerset, Robert Johns, was listed 1 Edward III (during the first year of the reign of King Edward III.) 3 Lewis Johns was prebendary of St. David's in 1486. 4

Farther to the south in the parish of Wendron, Cornwall, we found this interesting entry. "The barton of Tremere, or Trenear, on which are now only some small cottages, is said to have been a place of considerable fame in former ages. This is at present the property of the representatives of the late Richard Johns, Esq. of Helston, by purchase from the Vyvyans. Tonkin speaking of this place says, 'At Trenere in Wendron is an arched vault of moorstone near the house, said to have been a cellar of the ancient Dukes of Cornwall, and this one of their hunting seats. This vault, which is very entire, indicates a place of some distinction.' " 5

Early History of the Jone family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Jone research. Another 104 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1279, 1327, 1379, 1417, 1463, 1600, 1656, 1664, 1736, 1754, 1776, 1796, 1843, 1858 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Jone History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Jone Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. When the Normans became the ruling people of England in the 11th century, they introduced a new language into a society where the main languages of Old and later Middle English had no definite spelling rules. These languages were more often spoken than written, so they blended freely with one another. Contributing to this mixing of tongues was the fact that medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, ensuring that a person's name would appear differently in nearly every document in which it was recorded. The name has been spelled John, Johns, Jon, Jone, Johnes, Johnys, Joan, Joanes, Jones and many more.

Early Notables of the Jone family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Sir Hugh Johnys (fl. 1417-1463), Knight-Marshal of England and France, is said to have been the son of John Watkin Vaughan, who was the bastard child of Watkin Vaughan. In the muster-roll of the English army, dated July 1417, 'Here John,'...
Another 49 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Jone Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Jone Ranking

In the United States, the name Jone is the 6,174^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 6

Migration of the Jone family to Ireland

Some of the Jone family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 84 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Jone migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that plagued their homeland made the frontiers of the New World an attractive prospect. Thousands migrated, aboard cramped disease-ridden ships. They arrived sick, poor, and hungry, but were welcomed in many cases with far greater opportunity than at home in England. Many of these hardy settlers went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Among early immigrants bearing the name Jone or a variant listed above were:

Jone Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Jone, who landed in Maryland in 1659 7

Jone migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Jone Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Coak Jone, aged 21, a farm labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Tongariro" in 1888

Contemporary Notables of the name Jone (post 1700) +

Jone Kendrick, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Oklahoma, 1980 8

Citations +

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)
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.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Hutchins, Fortescue, The History of Cornwall, from the Earliest Records and Traditions to the Present Time. London: William Penaluna, 1824. Print
"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, November 6) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html