Contents [hide]

Jean History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables World Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Jean History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France
Spain

Early Origins of the Jean family

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

Early History of the Jean family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Jean 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 Jean History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Jean Spelling Variations

Changes of spelling have occurred in most surnames. The earliest explanation is that during the early development of the French language, names were not yet fixed in spelling. Usually a person gave his version of his name, phonetically, to a scribe, a priest, or a recorder. This depended on accent, and local accents frequently changed the spelling of a name. Some variables were adopted by different branches of the family name. Hence, there are some spelling variations of the name Jean, including 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 Jean 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 (134...
Sir Jean de Tinténiac, French knight who fought at the Combat of the Thirty, March 26th 1351
Bernard Desjean, Baron de Pointis (1645-1707), a French admiral and privateer
Jean Nicolas Bernard of Saint-Louis was the Batallion Chief and a Knight of Saint-Jean in the 1800's

Jean World Ranking

In the United States, the name Jean is the 1,909^th most popular surname with an estimated 17,409 people with that name. 1 However, in Canada, the name Jean is ranked the 303^rd most popular surname with an estimated 14,382 people with that name. 2 And in Quebec, Canada, the name Jean is the 99^th popular surname. 3 France ranks Jean as 68^th with 35,632 people. 4

Jean migration to the United States +

In 1643, 109 years after the first landings by Cartier, there were only about 300 people in Quebec. Migration was slow. The fur trade attracted migrants, both noble and commoner. By 1675, there were 7000 French in Quebec. By the same year the French Acadian presence in the Maritimes had reached 500. The French founded Lower Canada, thus becoming one of the two great founding nations of Canada. The family name Jean has made many distinguished contributions in France and New France to the world of science, culture, religion, and education. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Jean were

Jean Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

René Jean settled with his wife Marguerite Pepin in Louisiana in 1719
Rene Jean, aged 52, who landed in Louisiana in 1719 5
Jean Antoine Jean, who settled in Louisiana in 1752
Pierre Joseph Jean, who settled in Louisiana in 1752
Pierre Armin Jean, who settled in Philadelphia in 1753
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Jean Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Jean Christophe Grand Jean, who landed in New York in 1833 5
Lertel Jean, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1844 5
Zilliox Jean, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1846 5
Peter Gustavus Saint Jean, who settled in Philadelphia in 1848
Joseph Jean, aged 23, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1850 5

Jean migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Jean Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century

Denis Jean, son of Élie and Élisabeth, who married Marie Peltier, daughter of Nicolas and Jeanne, in Quebec on 30th August 1655 6
Vivien Jean, son of Vivien and Suzanne, who married Catherine Gateau, daughter of Odart and Geneviève, in Quebec on 29th October 1671 6
Gilles Jean, son of Jacques and Agnès, who married Jeanne Masse, daughter of Pierre and Marie, in Quebec on 21st June 1674 6
Élie Jean, son of Vivien and Élisabeth, who married Marie Gagnesse, daughter of Pierre and Madeleine, in Quebec on 20th January 1676 6
Jean Baptiste Jean, who arrived in Montreal in 1676
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Jean Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Pierre Jean, son of Élie and Marie, who married Catherine Blondeau, daughter of François and Nicole, in Charlesbourg, Quebec on 24th November 1701 6
Ignace Jean, son of Jean and Catherine, who married Angélique Dandonneau, daughter of Louis and Marguerite, in Montreal, Quebec on 2nd February 1710 6
Léonard Jean, son of Léonard and Anne, who married Marie Varin, daughter of Marin and Marie, in Montreal, Quebec on 26th November 1712 6
Gérard Jean, son of Jean and Marie, who married Marie-Louise Chaillé, daughter of François and Françoise, in Quebec on 28th September 1730 6
Louis Jean, son of Denis and Marie, who married Marie-Catherine Mexeray, daughter of Thomas and Louise, in Terrebonne, Quebec on 16th June 1732 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Jean (post 1700) +

Trafton Jean (b. 1972), American Libertarian politician, Candidate for Michigan State House of Representatives 85th District, 2000; Treasurer of Michigan Libertarian Party, 2001-02 7
Paul Jean, American Republican politician, Candidate for New Hampshire State House of Representatives from Manchester 6th Ward, 1938 7
Jean B. Jean, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Massachusetts, 1908 7
Charles A. Jean, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Illinois, 1948; Chair of Union County Republican Party, 1950 7
Arthur J. Jean, American Democratic Party politician, Elected New Hampshire State House of Representatives from Manchester 7th Ward 1938 7
Honore St. Jean, American Republican politician, Candidate for New Hampshire State House of Representatives from Manchester 9th Ward, 1938 8
Major-General Raymond-Damien Jean (1891-1949), French General during World War II 9
Earl Jude Jean (b. 1971), former St. Lucian footballer
Michaëlle Jean CC CMM COM CD (b. 1957), Haitian-born, Canadian journalist, 27th Governor General of Canada
Dame Annie Jean Macnamara DBE (1899-1968), Australian medical doctor and scientist, best known for her contributions to children's health and welfare and her polio research which helped lead to vaccine

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Surnames Meanings, Origins & Distribution Maps - Forebears." Forebears, https://forebears.io/surnames
"The first 1,000 family names by rank, Quebec (in French only)" Institut de la statistique du Quebec, https://statistique.quebec.ca/en/document/family-names-in-quebec/tableau/the-first-1000-family-names-by-rank-quebec
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)
Internoscia, Arthur E., and Claire Chevrier. Dictionnaire National des Canadiens Français 1608-1760. Vol. 1, Institut Drouin, 1958.
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 8) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 21) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2011, October 5) Raymond-Damien Jean. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Jean/Raymond-Damien/France.html