This surname is derived from the name of an ancestor. 'the son of John'; Old French Jehan; Old English Jan; diminutive Janin; compare Col-in, Rob-in, &c. Jan or Jehan left us Jan et and Janson. Jan-in (through influence of later Jean) became Jenin, with excrescent 'g' Jenning, and with patronymic 's' Jennings.

'Item, to Janyn Marcazin, mynstrelle—: Privy Purse Exp., Elizabeth of York.

Janyn le Breton, Lancashire, 1332: Lay Subsidy (Rylands).

Janyn de Gynes, 1379: Poll Tax of Yorkshire.

Janyn serviens Johannes warde, 1379: ibid.

Jenyn de Fraunce, 1379: ibid.

Jane, d. of Stephen Jenyn, 1548: Keg. St. Columb Major.

John Genens, or Jenens, citizen of Oxford, 1573: Register of the University of Oxford.

Francis Jenance, or Jennens, or Jenens: ibid.

Thomas Jennyns, Norfolk, 13 Elizabeth: History of Norfolk.

1571. Buried — Jeames Jennynges: St. Peter, Cornhill.

1610. Ralph Jenyngs, of Chester: Wills at Chester.

This surname is derived from the name of an ancestor. 'the son of John,' from Han, and suffix -rock (v. Hankin); compare Wilcock, Wilcox, jeffcock, Simcock, and Simcox; v. Cocks or Cox. The 'd' in Handcock is, of course, intrusive. Hancock was more popular than Hankin, and is found in the Hundred Rolls (1373). I do not find any instance of Hankin in those registers.

Hanecock Birune, Yorkshire, 1273. Hundred Rolls.

Warynus Hancok, 1379: Poll Tax of Yorkshire.

Agnes Hankok-wyf, 1379: ibid.

Robert Hancok, 1379: ibid.

Willelmus Hancok, 1379: ibid.

1619. Richard Tirrell and "Catherine Hancoxe: Marriage Lic. (London).

1651. Married — John Steele, batchllr, and Abigell Hannkock, vergen: St. Mary Aldermary.

1762. — George Handcock and Eleanor Jackson: St. George, Hanover Square.

This surname is derived from the name of an ancestor. 'the son of John,' a Welsh surname. John was never an English surname. Johnson monopolized the honours.

Edward ap-John, archdeacon, County of Caermarthen, 1509: History and Ant. St. David's.

Robert ap-Edward John, of Bangor, 1599: Wills at Chester.

William ap-Thomas John, of Pulford, 1606: ibid.

Edward ap-John, of Hanmer, laborer, 1584: ibid.

1666. Married — Robert Rait and Charity John: St. James, Clerkenwell.

1751. — Thomas John and Joanna Russell: St. George's Chapel, Mayfair.

This surname is derived from the name of an ancestor. 'the son of John,' from diminutive Jenkin; compare Wilkin, Watkin, Tompkin, Simpkin, &c. The 'g' in Jenking is excrescent, as in Jennings. The tendency at first was to Jonkin, but the influence of the N. French Jenin was too strong; v. Jennings.

Adam Janekyn, Somerset, 1 Edward III: Kirby's Quest.

Johannes Wayte, et Agnes uxor ejus, 1379: Poll Tax of Yorkshire.

Johannes serviens ejus, 1379: ibid.

Robertus Jonkinson, 1379: ibid.

The last three entries occur together.

Alicia Jonkyn, 1379: Poll Tax of Yorkshire.

Johanna Jonkyn-wyf, 1379: ibid.

Johannes Jonkynson, 1379: ibid.

Jenkin Vaughan, prebendary of St. David's, 1621: History and Ant. St. David's.

1602. Ralph Jenkinson, alias Johnson, of Longton: Wills at Chester.

From Heb. Jehohhan through Greek Ioannes, Latin Ioannes, is in Gaelic lain.

(Hebrew) Jehovah’s Gracious Gift [Latin Johannes, Iohannes, Greek ’Ιωάννης, Hebrew Y·Hóhhánan-the contraction form of Y·hóváh + hhánan, to give graciously] Iehohanan the captain.—2 Chron. 17, 15.

Iohannes se Fulluhtere (John the Baptist).—S. Matth. 3, 1. (Anglo-Saxon vers.) Ioon baptist.—id. (Wycliffe). Ihon the Baptyst.—id. (Tyndale). Iohn the Baptyst.—id. (Cranmer).

Thanne the disciplis of Ion . . . —St. Matth. 9. 14. (Wycliffe).

I say, be [by] swete seynt Iohne.—Robyn Hode and the Munke, 151.

(Welsh, English) Descendant of John (gracious gift of Jehovah).

See Johnson.

1, Hugh and Ralph Joannes, Norm. 1198 (Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae); Thomas, John, Alicia Joannes, Engl. c. 1272 (Rotuli Hundredorum); 2, for St. John.

(Hebrew.) Gracious; God's grace.

From Jenks or John, and the patronymic termination ings, belonging to, or son of John.

This baptismal name, which is of Norman introduction, has rarely passed into a surname. The Lond. Direct, for 1852 affords but one instance. It has been, however, the source, in various modified forms, of a considerable number of names, some of which are amongst the most common in the whole circle of our nomenclature. Its immediate derivative, Johnson, and its Welsh genitive form, Jones, substantiate this assertion; but we have besides Johns, Johnes, Joanes, Johncock, Janson, Jannings, Jennings, Jenks, Jenkyn, Jenkins, and Jinkins, Jenkinson, and perhaps Janes and Jenson. The Flemish nickname Hans from Johannes, seems to be the root of Hanson, Hancock, &c. Jack and Jackson might seem to claim the same parentage, but I think there is more reason for affiliating them upon James (See Jack).

From the Old Norse, Jon, Johann, Jóan; from the Danish, Johann, John, Jon, Jahn, Johne; from the Dutch, Johan; from the Frisian, Johnn; in the Domesday Book, Johannes; a personal name.

The Hancocks are now confined to the western half of England, south of the Mersey, and characterise most of the counties from the Land's End in Cornwall to the Peak in Derbyshire. They seem to attain a greater frequency in the south - west of England and in Derbyshire than in other parts of their area. On referring to the Hundred Rolls we find that six centuries ago, namely, in the 13th century, Hancock was represented in Shropshire in the forms of Hancoc and De Hancoc. Robert Hancock was lord mayor of York in 1488 (Drake's "Eboracum"). Coming to Cheshire, we learn from Earwaker that a Richard Hancok resided in East.

The usual explanation that Jenkins is a name of Flemish type, probably introduced by the Flemings who settled in numbers in South Wales in the reign of Henry I., is to some extent supported by the fact that the great home of the name is now in South Wales and Monmouthshire. It is singular, however, that the name, usually as Jenkin, should be numerous in Cornwall. Cornwall is very Welsh with reference to some of its most frequent names, such as Roberts, Phillips, Williams, Richards, Thomas, Jenkin, Harris, James, &c., which, in the intervening counties of Devon and Somerset are usually much less numerous. This close resemblance in family nomenclature between two isolated regions that possess a similar racial history is very remarkable.

Jenkins it is said to be a name introduced by the Flemings who settled in South Wales in the reign of Henry I. Its distribution, which much resembles that of Jenkins, supports this explanation. However, both names are now Welsh by appropriation for several centuries. Like many other Welsh names, it has only become a settled surname in comparatively modern times, and perhaps its adoption as such is more recent than in the case of most of the other names. Thus, whilst the Brecon family of Watkins carries its pedigree back four centuries, it has only possessed a settled surname for two centuries, the family names previously being Watkin, Rees, Price, etc. (Jones' "Brecknockshire").

Jenkins. —This name has its home in South Wales and Monmouthshire, where it is very numerous. Like other Welsh names it has spread itself to the southward and eastward, though not nearly to the extent of some of the other common names of the Principality. In Cornwall it occurs in numbers, generally in the form of Jenkin. Its isolated appearance in Kent is somewhat remarkable. In the northern part of England, especially in Lancashire and Yorkshire, its place is supplied by Jenkinson.

The surname Johnson has two main subdivisions-one with, and one without, the intrusive ‘t’ (as in Johnstone). Both of these subdivisions have a wide variety of different spellings. The former often means ‘son of John’, while those variations with the ‘t’ often refer to places-‘tons’ named after John, notably in Scotland. In practice (and often in spelling) it is easy to see how the ‘t’ got lost in pronouncing the name.

The first name John derives from the Ancient Hebrew name Jochanaan, meaning ‘God is gracious’. In its Latin form the name Johannes came west with the returning Crusaders, and during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries it spread all over Europe. Doubtless it was assisted by the popularity of St John the Baptist and St John the Divine (author of the Book of Revelations).

As the name Johannes crossed national and linguistic borders, it became changed into many local variants. In Germany it became Hans, in Holland Jan, in France Jean, in Ireland Sean (pronounced Shawn), and in Scotland Jock.

Early reference to Johnsons began appearing in the English records around the thirteenth century. One John Jonessone appears in the Ancient Deeds for Surrey in 1287. Variations with the intrusive middle ‘t’ appeared early on to denote ‘John from the place (‘ton’ or ‘tun’)’. One Alan de Johannestun appears in the Assize Rolls for Staffordshire in 1227. The variations with the intrusive ‘t’ are more common in the north of England and in Scotland.

In some rare cases the name Johnstone may be a local name deriving from places in Staffordshire and Dumfriesshire (the second syllable in this case being Old English). It is also just possible that this name is a local name for a man from Perth which used to be called St Johnstone (as its football team still is).

The name Johnson is related to the surname Evans (which also means, literally, ‘the dependant of John’-see Evans) and also in this way to many widely differing names-from Jackson to Jones. Jack, like Jenkin, Hankin and Hancock, was a common pet form of John.

Andrew Johnson (1808—75) was the seventeenth President of the United States. He purchased Alaska from the Russians for just $7,200,000 in 1867.

The three founders of the firm of Rolls-Royce were the Hon. C.S. Rolls, Mr F. Henry Royce and Mr Claude Johnson. Having at first contemplated calling the car the Rolls-Royce- Johnson, they decided that it somehow lacked zip and the name Johnson was dropped.

The 1889 flood in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, ranks amongst the world’s all-time disasters. When the South Fork Dam broke after excessive rain, the 450-acre lake vanished in under 40 minutes as a 70-foot-high wall of water roared through the town at over 15 miles per hour. One in 10 of the citizens (well over 2,000 people) was killed and the town was virtually levelled. Johnstown was rebuilt, but in 1977 a freak storm deposited 9 inches of rain in 8 hours and the Laurel Run dam broke, releasing over 100 million gallons of water with the resultant deaths of 77 people, totally destroyed over 500 houses and caused over $200 million in damage.

Famed aviatrix Amy Johnson (1903—41) captured the imagination of the nation with her record-breaking solo flight to Australia in 1930-so much so that the song ‘Wonderful Amy, How Can You Blame Me for Loving You?’ was the smash hit of the year.

Samuel Johnson (1709—84) took a mere eight years (1747— 55) to write his famous dictionary of the English language.

The United Kingdom has towns named Johnston, Johnstone and Johnstone Bridge, Canada has a Johnsen’s Crossing and a Johnstown, New Zealand has a Johnsonville, and there are also Johnstowns in the United States (4) and Ireland (2). There is a Johnson Island off the coast of Chile, a Johnson’s Point in Antigua, and a Johnson mountain range as well as a group of lakes in Australia.

With about 231,000 namesakes Johnson is the 10th most popular surname in England and Wales. There are over 29,000 Johnstons in Scotland where the name is 12th in popularity. In Ireland it is estimated that, with about 16,000 Johnsons, it is the 33rd most popular surname. Johnson is notably popular in and around Teesside where an estimated one in about 160 families bears the name; it is also popular in Edinburgh (one in 195). Around the world Johnsons and Johnstons are most common in Vancouver (one in 183 families), Sydney (one in 224) and Canberra (one in 228). The United States has more Johnsons and Johnstons than the entire population of Clydeside-an estimated total of just over 2,053,000 makes this their 2nd most popular surname.

The surname Jones literally means ‘dependant of John’, and Jone was a common form of the Christian name in England. In Wales, John had the characteristic form Evan (see Evans), but the Welsh Authorised Bible popularised a more latinate form Ioan, which gave rise to the patronymic Jones in Wales, where it is exceptionally common.

The first name John is Hebrew in origin and means ‘God is gracious’ (for further details see Johnson).

Jones has many related variants, which range from John to Joan, Joynes to Fitzjones (son of Jones). Like Jones, most of these variants have particularly strong Welsh connections.

References to the surname Jones appear in many of the early records, but more often than not the earliest references are to its related names. Thus one Alanus filius Jene appears in the 1275 annals of Lincolnshire, and there are several Johannes in the same records. However, in 1279 the more recognisable name of Walterus filius Jone appears in the annals for Huntingdonshire, and from then on the name Jones becomes a regular feature in our records, proliferating all over the country-though still retaining its highest concentrations in South Wales.

The phrase ‘Keeping up with the Joneses’, which originated in a 1913 American strip cartoon, gathered strength during the decades after World War II, with the new prosperity and subsequent proliferation of snobbery.

The most remunerative British television contract was signed in 1968 by the singer Tom Jones, with ABC-TV of the US and ITV of London, for a reported £9 million. It stipulated that Jones was to appear in 17 one-hour shows each year between January 1969 and January 1975-just under £90,000 an hour.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index measures the rise and fall of stocks and shares on the New York and American stock exchanges. It was instituted in 1896 by Charles Henry Dow and Edward D. Jones, former financial journalists who together, in 1882, founded the Wall Street firm of Dow Jones and Co. The British equivalent is the Financial Times Share Index.

‘On your Jack Jones’ is Cockney rhyming slang for ‘on your own’.

Casey Jones (1864—1900) is the legendary hero commemorated in the famous ballad of the same name for his heroism as the engineer on the ‘Cannonball Express’.

There are no Jones-related towns or major geographic features in the United Kingdom. The only towns bearing this name are in the United States where there are 19, including 9 Jonesboros and 6 Jonesvilles. A portion of the Atlantic Ocean’s floor is known as Jones Bank, and Canada has a Jones Sound.

With about 688,000 namesakes Jones is the 2nd most popular surname in England and Wales. There are 8,000 Jones’s in Scotland where it is 95th in popularity. Jones is notably popular in and around Cardiff where an estimated one in about 25 families bears the name. In descending numerical order Liverpool, Birmingham and Coventry are other Jones strongholds. Around the world Jones’s are most common in Sydney (one in 224 families), Canberra (one in 256) and Melbourne (one in 289). The United States has more Jones’s than the entire population of South Yorkshire-an estimated total of just over 1,400,000 makes this their 5th most popular surname.