Wishlist
Menu
Cart
HouseofNames
Wishlist
Cart

Show ContentsJeans History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
Product

Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

4.9 Average Rating

The Jeans 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 Jeans family

The surname Jeans 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 Jeans family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Jeans 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 Jeans History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Jeans Spelling Variations

A multitude of spelling variations characterize Norman surnames. Many variations occurred because Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England also had a pronounced effect, as did the court languages of Latin and French. Therefore, one person was often referred to by several different spellings in a single lifetime. The various spellings include Janes, Jans, J'Anes, Jeanne, Jeynes, Jayne, Jane and many more.

Early Notables of the Jeans 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. 4Joseph 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 Jeans Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Jeans Ranking

In the United States, the name Jeans is the 15,469th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 5 However, in Newfoundland, Canada, the name Jeans is ranked the 674th most popular surname with an estimated 65 people with that name. 6

Australia Jeans migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Jeans Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. William Jeans, English convict who was convicted in Gloucester, Gloucestershire, England for life, transported aboard the "Emerald Isle" on 25th June 1842, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 7
  • Mr. Frederick Jeans, British convict who was convicted in Hertford, Hertfordshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Cornwall" on 28th February 1851, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 8
  • John George Jeans, aged 31, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1851 aboard the ship "Navarino" 9
  • Sarah Jeans, aged 20, a servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1854 aboard the ship "Navarino" 10

Contemporary Notables of the name Jeans (post 1700) +

  • Herbert Jeans, American politician, Mayor of Columbia, Missouri, 1969-71 11
  • Sir James Hopwood Jeans (1877-1946), English mathematician/astronomer
  • Isabel Jeans (1891-1985), English actress, known for her roles in Gigi (1958), Suspicion (1941) and Easy Virtue (1928)
  • Jeans Coops, Belgian gold medalist bobsledder at the 1939 FIBT World Championships
  • Jeans Coop, Belgian bobsledder who competed in the late 1930s
HMS Prince of Wales
  • Mr. Wilfred Charles Jeans, British Signalman, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and died in the sinking 12
HMS Repulse
  • Mr. Robson Scott Jeans (b. 1919), British Able Bodied Seaman, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and survived the sinking, died of wounds received the day after 13
USS Arizona
  • Mr. Victor Lawrence Jeans, American Water Tender Second Class from Oregon, USA working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he died in the sinking 14
  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. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  6. The order of Common Surnames in 1955 in Newfoundland retrieved on 20th October 2021 (retrieved from Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland by E.R. Seary corrected edition ISBN 0-7735-1782-0)
  7. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 27th March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/emily
  8. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 11th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/cornwall
  9. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) NAVARINO 1851. Retrieved http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1851Navarino.htm
  10. South Australian Register Monday 14th August 1854. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Navarino 1854. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/navarino1854.shtml
  11. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 8) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  12. HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html
  13. HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html
  14. Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html
Houseofnames.com on Facebook