Jenn History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Jenn family

The surname Jenn was first found in Cambridgeshire where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. After the Battle of Hastings in 1066, William, Duke of Normandy, having prevailed over King Harold, granted most of Britain to his many victorious Barons. It was not uncommon to find a Baron, or a Bishop, with 60 or more Lordships scattered throughout the country. These he gave to his sons, nephews and other junior lines of his family and they became known as under-tenants. They adopted the Norman system of surnames which identified the under-tenant with his holdings so as to distinguish him from the senior stem of the family. After many rebellious wars between his Barons, Duke William, commissioned a census of all England to determine in 1086, settling once and for all, who held which land. He called the census the Domesday Book, 1 indicating that those holders registered would hold the land until the end of time. Hence, conjecturally, the surname is descended from the tenant of the lands, Etienne de Gennes, a Norman of Anjou, from whom was descended Ettiennes de Gennes, Lord of Le Motte de Geenes in 1144 and who was recorded in the Domesday Book census of 1086.

Early History of the Jenn family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Jenn research. Another 124 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1401, 1510 and 1600 are included under the topic Early Jenn History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Jenn Spelling Variations

Before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Sound was what guided spelling in the Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Jenn family name include Jennes, Jenne, Jenn, Jeune, LaJeune, Chenn, Genn, Genne, Gens and many more.

Early Notables of the Jenn family

More information is included under the topic Early Jenn Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Jenn Ranking

In France, the name Jenn is the 9,556^th most popular surname with an estimated 889 people with that name. 2

Jenn migration to the United States +

To escape the political and religious chaos of this era, thousands of English families began to migrate to the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. The passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe; however, those who made the voyage safely were encountered opportunities that were not available to them in their homeland. Many of the families that reached the New World at this time went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of the United States and Canada. Research into various historical records has revealed some of first members of the Jenn family to immigrate North America:

Jenn Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Theodor Jenn, aged 30, who arrived in America in 1857 3
Johann Jenn, aged 30, who landed in America in 1867 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Jenn (post 1700) +

Jenn Emberly, American visual effects specialist, best known for her work on Pirates of Caribbean
Jenn McGinn, Canadian politician
Jenn Mikkelsen, American Democratic Party politician, Member, Credentials Committee, Democratic National Convention, 2008 4

Citations +

Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
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 23) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html