Joslyn History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland
Scotland

The notable Joslyn family arose among the Cornish People, a race with a rich Celtic heritage and an indomitable fighting spirit who inhabited the southwest of England. While surnames were well-known during the English medieval period, Cornish People originally used only a single name. The way in which hereditary surnames came into common use is interesting. As the population of medieval Europe multiplied, people began to assume an extra name to avoid confusion and to further identify themselves. Under the Feudal System of government, surnames evolved and they often reflected life on the manor and in the field. Patronymic surnames were derived from given names and were the predominant type of surname among the Celtic peoples of Britain. However, the people of Cornwall provide a surprising exception to this rule, and patronymic surnames are less common among them than other people of Celtic stock, such as their Welsh neighbors. This is due to the greater influence of English bureaucracy and naming practices in Cornwall at the time that surnames first arose. This type of surname blended perfectly with the prevailing Feudal System. One feature that is occasionally found in Cornish surnames of this type is the suffix -oe or -ow; this is derived from the Cornish plural suffix -ow. is a patronymic surname that came from the Germanic personal name Jocelyn, meaning Goth.

Gocelin or Gotselin (fl. 1099), was an early English "biographer, is said to have been born at or near Terouanne. He was originally a monk in the monastery of St. Bertin, and was brought over to England by Hermann, Bishop of Salisbury (1045-1077), possibly in 1058. He himself states that he accompanied Hermann to Rome shortly before the great council of Rheims (3 Oct. 1049), and as Hermann returned to England soon after Godwin's death." 1

Jocelin (d. 1199), was Bishop of Glasgow, a monk of Melrose. "After filling the office of prior he was, on 22 April 1170, chosen abbot. On 23 May 1174 he was elected bishop of Glasgow at Perth, and was consecrated at Clairvaux on 1 June 1175 by Eskilus, Archbishop of Lunden in Holstein. " 1

Jocelin de Brakelond (fl. 1200), was Chronicler of St. Edmunds Abbey, a native of Bury St. Edmunds, where two ancient streets were called Brakelond. 1

Another Jocelin or Joscelin (fl. 1200), the hagiographer, was a Cistercian monk of the Abbey of Furness in Lancashire, and was one of the monks brought from Furness, towards the close of the twelfth century, by John de Curci to the new monastery founded by him at Down in the north of Ireland. 1

Early Origins of the Joslyn family

The surname Joslyn was first found in Lanarkshire but one of the first records of the name was Josceline de Bohon (or Joscelyn fitz Richard de Bohon or Joscelin de Bohun) (c. 1111-1184) who was Bishop of Salisbury. His son, Reginald fitz Jocelin (sometimes Reginald Italus, Richard the Lombard, or Reginald Lombardus) was Bishop of Bath and an Archbishop of Canterbury-elect. Jocelin (or Jocelyn) (died 1199) was a twelfth-century Cistercian monk and cleric who became the 4th Abbot of Melrose and later Bishop of Glasgow, Scotland. Another branch was seated at Sempringham in Lincolnshire by grant of William the Conqueror. 2

Early History of the Joslyn family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Joslyn research. Another 119 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1174, 1188, 1296, 1490, 1553, 1596, 1616, 1623, 1638, 1641, 1675, 1683, 1688, 1739, 1743, 1756 and 1797 are included under the topic Early Joslyn History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Joslyn Spelling Variations

Cornish surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The official court languages, which were Latin and French, were also influential on the spelling of a surname. Since the spelling of surnames was rarely consistent in medieval times, and scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings of their surname in the ancient chronicles. Moreover, a large number of foreign names were brought into England, which accelerated and accentuated the alterations to the spelling of various surnames. Lastly, spelling variations often resulted from the linguistic differences between the people of Cornwall and the rest of England. The Cornish spoke a unique Brythonic Celtic language which was first recorded in written documents during the 10th century. However, they became increasingly Anglicized, and Cornish became extinct as a spoken language in 1777, although it has been revived by Cornish patriots in the modern era. The name has been spelled Jocelyn, Gocelyn, Josselyn, Josselyne and others.

Early Notables of the Joslyn family

Notable amongst the family at this time was John Josselyn or Jastleyn (c.1490-1553), an English politician.Elizabeth Jocelin (1596-1623), was author of 'The Mother's Legacie to her Unborne Childe,' born in 1596, and was the daughter of Sir Richard Brooke of Norton, Cheshire, and his wife Joan. 1Ralph Josselin (1616-1683) was an English vicar of Earls Colne in Essex...
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Joslyn Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Joslyn Ranking

In the United States, the name Joslyn is the 12,398^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 3

Migration of the Joslyn family to Ireland

Some of the Joslyn family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 94 words (7 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Joslyn migration to the United States +

An examination into the immigration and passenger lists has discovered a number of people bearing the name Joslyn:

Joslyn Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Thomas Joslyn, who landed in Massachusetts in 1635 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Joslyn (post 1700) +

Maynard Alexander Joslyn (1904-1984), Russian-born, American food scientist
Betsy Joslyn (b. 1954), American Broadway musical and drama tic actress and soprano
Allyn Joslyn (1901-1981), American stage, film and television actor
Cliff Joslyn (b. 1963), American cognitive scientist and cyberneticist
Patrick Reed Joslyn, American politician, Circuit Judge in Michigan 40th Circuit; Elected 1978 5
Merritt L. Joslyn (1825-1904), American politician, Mayor of Woodstock, Illinois, 1881-82 5
Lee E. Joslyn (b. 1864), American Democratic Party politician, Bay County Circuit Court Commissioner, 1888-92; Bay County Prosecuting Attorney, 1893-94; Candidate for Circuit Judge in Michigan 3rd Circuit, 1923 5
L. D. Joslyn, American politician, Member of Missouri State Senate 23rd District, 1941-48 5
David R. Joslyn, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Illinois, 1944, 1960 5
Charles M. Joslyn, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Mayor of Hartford, Connecticut, 1882, 1884, 1888 5
... (Another 2 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Joslyn Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Faire mon devoir
Motto Translation: To do my duty.

Citations +

Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
Shirley, Evelyn Philip, The Noble and Gentle Men of England; The Arms and Descents. Westminster: John Bower Nichols and Sons, 1866, 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, October 20) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html