Show ContentsJobson History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Jobson is tied to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of England. It comes from the baptismal nameJob. The surname Jobson 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 Jobson family

The surname Jobson 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 Jobson family

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

Jobson Spelling Variations

Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Jobson has undergone many spelling variations, including Jobson, Job, Jobes, Jobe and others.

Early Notables of the Jobson 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...


United States Jobson migration to the United States +

To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Jobson were among those contributors:

Jobson Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • John Jobson, who arrived in Virginia in 1665 4
  • Frances Jobson, who landed in Maryland or Virginia in 1671 4
  • Samuel Jobson, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1682 4
Jobson Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Michael J Jobson, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1708 4
Jobson Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Nancy Jobson, aged 20, who landed in Barnstable, Massachusetts in 1822 4
  • Margaret Jobson, aged 28, who landed in Barnstable, Massachusetts in 1822 4
  • Nancy and Margaret Jobson, who arrived in Barstable Massachusetts in 1822 with two children
  • Charles Jobson, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 4
Jobson Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Danl. Elwood Jobson, aged 37, who settled in America from Leeds, in 1904
  • Christopher Jobson, aged 27, who immigrated to America from Hirst, England, in 1906
  • Alice Jobson, aged 34, who settled in America from Haltham, England, in 1907
  • Dora Jobson, aged 23, who landed in America from Newark, England, in 1909
  • Ernest Jobson, aged 24, who immigrated to the United States from Newark, England, in 1909
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Australia Jobson migration to Australia +

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

Jobson Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. John Jobson, (b. 1808), aged 30, English labourer who was convicted in Essex, England for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Earl Grey" on 27th July 1838, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1885 5
  • Mary Jobson, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Gipsy Queen" in 1850 6
  • Charles Jobson, aged 24, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Caroline" 7
  • Mr. Henry Jobson, English convict who was convicted in Forton (Forton Prison), Gosport, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Edwin Fox" on 24th August 1858, arriving in Western Australia, Australia

West Indies Jobson migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 8
Jobson Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century
  • Francis Jobson, who settled in Barbados in 1671

Contemporary Notables of the name Jobson (post 1700) +

  • Wayne Jobson (b. 1954), Jamaican-American Grammy-winning record producer
  • Marci Jobson (b. 1975), American soccer midfielder and coach
  • Gary Jobson, American sailor, television commentator, inducted into America's Cup Hall of Fame (2003)
  • Rev. Frederick James Jobson (1812-1881), American painter, architect and Wesleyan Methodist minister
  • Richard Jobson (b. 1963), English footballer
  • Edward Jobson (1855-1909), English cricketer who played for Worcestershire (1900 to 1903)
  • Eddie Jobson (b. 1955), English rock violinist and musician of the 80's
  • Richard Jobson, seventeenth-century English explorer
  • Richard Jobson (b. 1960), Scottish singer-songwriter and film-maker
  • Matt Jobson (b. 1980), Australian rugby league player
  • ... (Another 3 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

HMS Royal Oak
  • James Blythe Jobson (1910-1939), British Leading Seaman with the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he died in the sinking 9


  1. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  2. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  3. 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)
  4. 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)
  5. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th August 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-grey
  6. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) GIPSY QUEEN 1850. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1850GipsyQueen.htm
  7. South Australian Register Thursday 26th April 1855. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Caroline 1855. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/caroline1855.shtml
  8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
  9. Ships hit by U-boats crew list HMS Royal Oak (08) - (Retrieved 2018 February, 9th) - retrieved from https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/crews/ship68.html


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