Show ContentsJohnsint History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The ancestors of the Johnsint family arrived in England following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The name Johnsint came from the given name John and the name literally means "son of John." 1 The given name John is derived from the Hebrew name Johanan, which means Jehovah has favored. The name was extremely popular in the Middle Ages as a result of the numerous connections between the name John and the Christian Church.

"With the exception of the south - western counties, where it is absent or conspicuously rare, this name is distributed all over England, but in much less numbers in the south than in the midlands and in the north. The counties most conspicuous for the number of Johnsons are Cambridge, Cheshire, Derby, Durham, Lancashire, Leicester and Rutland, Lincoln, Norfolk, Northumberland, Notts, Stafford, Warwick, and York." 2 Johnson is the 10th most popular surname in England and Wales.

Early Origins of the Johnsint family

The surname Johnsint was first found in Lincolnshire, where many of the ancient and leading houses of the family name claim descent originally from the house of FitzJohn in Normandy, particularly that of one of the leading branches and oldest, the Johnsons of Ayscough-Fee. 3

Later, the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 list many of the name: Willelmus Joneson; Willelmus Johnson, 1379; Robertus Johanson; Juliana Jonesson; Ricardus Joneson; and Robertas Jonson. 1

Early History of the Johnsint family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Johnsint research. Another 82 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1375, 1503, 1572, 1629, 1637, 1644, 1659, 1675, 1680, 1682, 1688, 1689, 1713, 1717, 1719, 1735, 1775, 1797 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Johnsint History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Johnsint Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, Anglo-Norman surnames like Johnsint are characterized by many spelling variations. Scribes and monks in the Middle Ages spelled names they sounded, so it is common to find several variations that refer to a single person. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages such as Norman French and Latin, even literate people regularly changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Johnsint include Johnson, Joneson, Jonson, Joynson and others.

Early Notables of the Johnsint family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Benjamin Jonson (1572-1637), an English playwright, poet, actor, and literary critic; Daniel Johnson (1629-1675), an English buccaneer born in Bristol, who sailed against the Spanish during the late 17th century becoming known among the Spanish as "Johnson the Terror"; Sir Nathaniel Johnson (1644-1713), an English soldier and a Member of Parliament for Newcastle-upon-Tyne (1680-1689); Sir Henry Johnson...
Another 64 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Johnsint Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ireland Migration of the Johnsint family to Ireland

Some of the Johnsint family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 76 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Johnsint family

Faced with the chaos present in England at that time, many English families looked towards the open frontiers of the New World with its opportunities to escape oppression and starvation. People migrated to North America, as well as Australia and Ireland in droves, paying exorbitant rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, but those who did see the shores of North America were welcomed with great opportunity. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America carried the name Johnsint, or a variant listed above: Alice Johnson, who settled in Virginia in 1635; as did Abraham Johnson in 1648; Benjamin Johnson, who immigrated to Barbados in 1660; Thomas Johnson, who sailed to St. John's, Newfoundland in 1666.



  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. Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
  3. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.


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