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Job History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Job History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The origins of the name Job are from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It is derived from the baptismal nameJob. The surname Job referred to the son of Job which belongs to the category of patronymic surnames. 1

In Old English, patronyms were formed by adding a variety of suffixes to personal names, which changed over time and from place to place. For example, after the Norman Conquest, sunu and sune, which meant son, were the most common patronymic suffixes. In the 12th and 13th centuries, the most common patronymic names included the word filius, which meant son. By the 14th century, the suffix son had replaced these earlier versions. Surnames that were formed with filius or son were more common in the north of England and it was here that the number of individuals without surnames was greatest at this time.

Early Origins of the Job family

The surname Job was first found in Cumberland (Cumbria) where Joppe son of Joppeson was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of 1332. Later in the Yorkshire, Ralph Jopson was found at Whitby in 1382. 2

As one would expect, the close proximity of the Scottish border led to movement north. "Janet Jobsone [was found] in Edinburgh, 1618, [and] Andrew Jobson was portioner of Wolfclyde, parish of Culter, 1650." 3

Early History of the Job family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Job research. Another 74 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1202, 1564, 1573, 1618, 1619, 1620, 1621 and 1623 are included under the topic Early Job History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Job Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Job family name include Jobson, Job, Jobes, Jobe and others.

Early Notables of the Job family

Distinguished members of the family include

Sir Francis Jobson (d. 1573), Lieutenant of the Tower who was apparently of Yorkshire descent. "He fixed his residence at Monkwike, in the out-parish of West Doniland, the reversion of which had been...
Richard Jobson, (fl. 1620-1623), was an English explorer and traveller who is best known for his voyages to Ethiopia and the Gambia River (1620 to 1621). He "was appointed in 1620 to command an expedi...

Job Ranking

In the United States, the name Job is the 13,253^rd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 4 However, in France, the name Job is ranked the 2,465^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,500 - 3,000 people with that name. 5

Job migration to the United States +

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, the Canadas, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Job surname or a spelling variation of the name include:

Job Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

George Job, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1738 6
Margaretha Job, who arrived in America in 1750 6
John Nicholas Job, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1760 6
John Job, aged 3, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1773 6

Job Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

William Job, who landed in Maryland in 1843 6
David P Job, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1873 6

Job Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Mr. Richard Job, (b. 1851), aged 50, Cornish miner , from Redruth, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "Campania" arriving Ellis Island, New York on 8th June 1901 en route to Butte, Montana, USA 7
Mr. Richard Charles Job, (b. 1883), aged 21, Cornish engineer , from Falmouth, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "St Paul" arriving Ellis Island, New York on 20th November 1904 en route to Weatherly, Pennsylvania, USA 7

Job migration to Australia +

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

Job Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

John Job, Welsh convict from Glamorgan, who was transported aboard the "Adamant" on March 16, 1821, settling in New South Wales, Australia 8
Mr. William Job, English convict who was convicted in London, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Bardaster" on 7th September 1835, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 9
Elizabeth Job, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Cressy" in 1847 10
Harriet Job, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Rajah" in 1849 11
Harriett Job, who arrived in South Australia in 1849 aboard the ship "Rajah" 11
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Job 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:

Job Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Isaac Job, (b. 1858), aged 20, Cornish farm labourer departing on 11th October 1878 aboard the ship "Fernglen" going to Westland (Westland District), New Zealand arriving in port on 3rd January 1879 12

Contemporary Notables of the name Job (post 1700) +

Rae Lynn Job, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Wyoming, 2004 13
Joseph F. Job, American politician, Independent Candidate for U.S. Senator from New Jersey, 1988 13
Joseph A. Job, American politician, Socialist Labor Candidate for U.S. Representative from New York 8th District, 1900 13
Gary Job, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from South Dakota, 2000 13
Thomas Bulley Job (1806-1878), English-born merchant and politician in Newfoundland who represented Trinity Bay in the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly from 1846 to 1852
Thomas Hervè Job (b. 1984), Cameroonian footballer
Macarthur Job (b. 1926), Australian aviation writer and air safety consultant
Jacob Job Elie, French Divisional General during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars from 1789 to 1815 14
Sir Francis Job Short (1857-1945), English engraver
Job Baster (1711-1775), Dutch physician and naturalist

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_ellis_island_1892_on.pdf
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Adamant voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1821 with 144 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/adamant/1821
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bardaster
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) CRESSY 1847. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1847Cressy.htm
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) RAJAH 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Rajah.htm
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, April 30). Emigrants to other ports, 1872 - 84 [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/new_zealand_assisted.pdf
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 7) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Generals Who Served in the French Army during the Period 1789-1815. (Retrieved 2015, March 4) Jacob Elie. Retrieved from http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/c_frenchgenerals.html