Show ContentsJent History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Jent family

The surname Jent was first found in Languedoc, where the family held a family seat since ancient times.

Early History of the Jent family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Jent research. Another 337 words (24 lines of text) covering the years 1202, 1234, 1341, 1351, 1364, 1400, 1440, 1540, 1551, 1607, 1645, 1667, 1669, 1707, 1723 and 1800 are included under the topic Early Jent History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Jent Spelling Variations

French surnames were subject to numerous alterations in spelling because of the various cultural groups that inhabited specific regions. Eventually, each region possessed its own local dialect of the French language. The early development of the French language, however, was also influenced by other languages. For example, Old French was infused with Germanic words and sounds when barbarian tribes invaded and settled in France after the fall of the Roman Empire. Middle French also borrowed heavily from the Italian language during the Renaissance. As a result of these linguistic and cultural influences, the name Jent is distinguished by a number of regional variations. The many spelling variations of the name include Saint Jean, Jean, Geon, Jeans, Jeane, Geans, Gen, Le Jean, Des Jeans, De La Geon, Saint-Jon, Saint-Geans and many more.

Early Notables of the Jent family

Notable amongst the family name at this time was Jean, or Jehan de Beaumanoir, Marshal of Brittany for Charles of Blois, and Captain of Josselin, is remembered for his share in the famous Combat of the Thirty during the War of Breton Succession (1341-1364); Sir...
Another 44 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Jent Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Jent Ranking

In the United States, the name Jent is the 12,600th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1


United States Jent migration to the United States +

By 1643 there were only about 300 people in Quebec. Since immigration was slow, early marriage was desperately encouraged amongst the immigrants. The fur trade attracted migrants, both noble and commoner. 15,000 explorers left Montreal in the late 17th and 18th centuries. By 1675, there were 7000 French in Quebec. By the same year the Acadian presence in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island had reached 500. In 1755, 10,000 French Acadians refused to take an oath of allegiance to England and were deported to Louisiana. The French founded Lower Canada, thus becoming one of the two great founding nations of Canada. The distinguished family name Jent has made significant contributions to the culture, arts, sciences and religion of France and New France. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Jent were

Jent Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Tho Jent, who arrived in Virginia in 1638 2
  • William Jent, who landed in Virginia in 1662 2

New Zealand Jent 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:

Jent Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Charles Jent, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840

Contemporary Notables of the name Jent (post 1700) +

  • Larry Jent, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Montana, 1996, 2000, 2008 (alternate); Member of Montana State Senate 32nd District; Elected 2010 3


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. 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)
  3. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 9) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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