Show ContentsIon History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Anglo-Saxon name Ion comes from the baptismal name John. The surname Ion referred to the son of John which belongs to the category of patronymic surnames. In Old English, patronyms and matronyms 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 Ion family

The surname Ion was first found in Cambridgeshire, where they held a family seat from very early times.

Early History of the Ion family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ion research. Another 64 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1273 and 1789 are included under the topic Early Ion History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ion Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Ion, Ionn, Ione, Ionne, Iyon, Iyonne and others.

Early Notables of the Ion family

Distinguished members of the family include

  • Richard Ion, a prominent landholder in Cambridgeshire during the 13th century


Ion migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Ion Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • John Ion, who sailed to Philadelphia in 1819
  • John Frederick D Ion, who arrived in Savanna(h), Georgia in 1836 1

Ion migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Ion Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • John Ion was registered in Ontario in 1865

Contemporary Notables of the name Ion (post 1700) +

  • Patrick Ion (b. 1942), American mathematician
  • Ion Ion (b. 1954), Romanian former footballer
  • Sue Ion (b. 1955), British engineer, advisor on the nuclear power industry
  • Corneliu Ion (1951-1980), Romanian sports shooter and 1980 Olympic champion
  • Barry Ion (b. 1941), Australian rules footballer and radio personality
  • Viorel Ion (b. 1967), Romanian footballer
  • Sam Ion, Canadian syndicated columnist
  • Ernest Ion Pool (1858-1939), British marathon runner at the 1900 Olympic Games
  • Ion Popa (b. 1957), Romanian-born, former Australian representative rower-a national champion, world champion, dual Olympian and Olympic medal winner
  • Ion Ion (b. 1954), Romanian former footballer


  1. 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)


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