Upjon History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Wales

Etymology of Upjon

What does the name Upjon mean?

The Upjon surname is a patronymic name created from the personal name John. The original form of the name was ap-John: the Welsh patronymic prefix "ap-," means "son of," but the prefix has been assimilated into the surname over the course of time.

Early Origins of the Upjon family

The surname Upjon was first found in Flintshire (Welsh: Sir y Fflint), a historic county, created after the defeat of the Welsh Kingdom of Gwynedd in 1284, and located in north-east Wales, in Wales where they were lineally descended from Meyrick, son of Prince Llewellyn, who was lineally descended from Hwfa Ap Cynddelw, founder of the first noble tribe of North Wales, descended was John Ap Meyric, whose son Robert Ap John was the ancestor of the ApJohns and UpJohns.

Early History of the Upjon family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Upjon research. Another 82 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Upjon History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Upjon Spelling Variations

Although there are comparatively few Welsh surnames, they have a great many spelling variations. Variations of Welsh names began almost immediately after their acceptance within Welsh society. In the Middle Ages, it was up to priests and the few other people that recorded names in official documents to decide how to spell the names that they heard. Variations that occurred because of improper recording increased dramatically as the names were later transliterated into English. The Brythonic Celtic language of Wales, known by natives as Cymraeg, featured many highly inflected sounds that could not be properly captured by the English language. Spelling variations were, however, also carried out according to an individual's design: a branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even patriotic affiliations were all indicated by the particular variation of one's name. The spelling variations of the name Upjon have included Upjohn, ApJohn, Apshone and others.

Early Notables of the Upjon family

More information is included under the topic Early Upjon Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Upjon family

The Welsh began to emigrate to North America in the late 1800s and early 1900s in search of land, work, and freedom. Those that arrived helped shape the industry, commerce, and the cultural heritage of both Canada and the United States. The records regarding immigration and passenger show a number of people bearing the name Upjon: Edward UpJohn settled in Philadelphia in 1774; James Upjohn settled in New England in 1801; Mary Upjohn settled in New York City with four children in 1823.