Jones History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

While the ancestors of the bearers of Jones came from ancient Welsh-Celtic origins, the name itself has its roots in Christianity. This surname comes from the personal name John, which is derived from the Latin Johannes, meaning “Yahweh is gracious.” 

This name has always been common in Britain, rivaling William in popularity by the beginning of the 14th century. The feminine form Joan, or Johanna in Latin, was also popular, and the surname Jones may be derived from either the male or female name. “Though its origins are in England, the surname is predominately held by people of Welsh extraction due to the overwhelming use of patronymics in Wales from the 16th century and the prevalence of the name John at that time.” [1] “Next to John Smith, John Jones is probably the most common combination of names in Britain.” [2]

Early Origins of the Jones family

The surname Jones was first found in Denbighshire (Welsh: Sir Ddinbych), a historic county in Northeast Wales created by the Laws in Wales Act 1536, where their ancient family seatwas at Llanerchrugog.

The name Jones, currently one of the most prolific in the world, descends from three main sources: from Gwaithvoed, Lord Cardigan, Chief of one of the 15 noble tribes of North Wales in 921; from Bleddyn Ap Cynfyn, King of Powys; and from Dyffryn Clwyd, a Chieftain of Denbighland.

All three lines merged in Denbighshire about the 11th century and it is not known which of the three can be considered the main branch of the family. Later some of the family ventured into England. “[The parish of Astall in Oxfordshire] was formerly the residence of Sir Richard Jones, one of the judges of the court of common pleas in the reign of Charles I.; and there are still some remains of the ancient manor-house near the church, which are now converted into a farmhouse.” [3]

“Llanarth Court [in Monmouthshire], the admired seat of John Jones, Esq., is a handsome and spacious mansion, the front ornamented with an elegant portico resembling that of the temple of Pæstum.” [3]

Early History of the Jones family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Jones research.

Jones Spelling Variations

Welsh surnames are relatively few in number, but they have an inordinately large number of spelling variations. There are many factors that explain the preponderance of Welsh variants, but the earliest is found during the Middle Ages when Welsh surnames came into use. Scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, which often resulted in a single person’s name being inconsistently recorded over his lifetime. The transliteration of Welshnames into English also accounts for many of the spelling variations: the unique Brythonic Celtic language of the Welsh had many sounds the English language was incapable of accurately reproducing. It was also common for members of a same surname to change their names slightly, in order to signify a branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even patriotic affiliations. For all of these reasons, the many spelling variations of particular Welsh names are very important. The surname Jones has occasionally been spelled Jones, Jonas, Jone, Joness and others.

Early Notables of the Jones family (pre 1700)

Prominent amongst the family during the late Middle Ages was Gwaithvoed Lord Cardigan, Bleddyn Ap Cynfyn, and Dyffryn Clwyd Jones, the three patriarchs of the Jones family; John Jones of Gellilyfdy (c. 1578-c.1658), a Welsh lawyer, antiquary, calligrapher, manuscript collector and scribe; Richard Jones (1638-1712), first Earl of Ranelagh; Sir Samuel Jones (1610-1673), an English politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1656.

Jones World Ranking

In the United States, the name Jones is the 4^th most popular surname with an estimated 1,544,427 people with that name. [4] However, in Canada, the name Jones is ranked the 14^thmost popular surname with an estimated 68,210 people with that name. [5] And in Quebec, Canada, the name Jones is the 478^th popular surname. [6] Newfoundland, Canada ranks Jones as 63^rd with 413 people. [7] France ranks Jones as 3,371^st with 2,000 – 2,500 people. [8]Australia ranks Jones as 2^nd with 111,307 people. [9] New Zealand ranks Jones as 3^rd with 8,563 people. [10] The United Kingdom ranks Jones as 2^nd with 437,227 people. [11] South Africa ranks Jones as 263^rd with 25,988 people. [12]

 Migration of the Jones family to Ireland

Some of the Jones family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.

 Jones migration to the United States +

In the 1800s and 1900s, many Welsh families left for North America, in search of land, work, and freedom. Those who made the trip successfully helped contribute to the growth of industry, commerce, and the cultural heritage of both Canada and the United States. In the immigration and passenger lists were a number of people bearing the name Jones 

Jones Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

• Mr. Thomas Jones, aged 35, who arrived in Virginia in 1619 aboard the ship “Bona Nova” [13]
• Mr. Anthony Jones, aged 26, who arrived in Virginia aboard the ship “Falcon” in 1620 [13]
• Mr. Theodore Jones, aged 16, who arrived in Virginia in 1620 aboard the ship “Margaret & John” [13]
• Mr. Henry Jones, aged 25, who arrived in Virginia in 1622 aboard the ship “Southampton” [13]
• Mr. David Jones, aged 22, who arrived in Virginia in 1622 aboard the ship “Truelove” [13]

Jones Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

• David Jones, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1712 [14]
• Arthur Jones, who arrived in Virginia in 1724 [14]
• Cornelius Jones, who arrived in Georgia in 1732 [14]
• Roger Jones, who arrived in South Carolina in 1738

Jones Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

• Christian Jones, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1801 [14]
• William Jones, who landed in New York in 1815 [14]
• James Jones, who arrived in Puerto Rico in 1816 [14]
• Sarah Jones, who settled in New York in 1821
• Caroline Jones, who landed in New York in 1824 [14]

Jones Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

• Mr. Stephen Jones, (b. 1877), aged 24, Cornish miner travelling aboard the ship “Lucania” arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 20th July 1901 en route to Butte, Montana, USA [15]
• Mr. James Jones, (b. 1837), aged 64, Cornish farmer, from Hayle, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship “Germanic” arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 25th October 1901 en route to Benton, Wisconsin, USA [15]
• Mrs. Lillie Jones, (b. 1877), aged 26, Cornish settler travelling aboard the ship “Teutonic” arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 9th April 1903 en route to Grass Valley, California [15]
• Mr. Cecil Jones, (b. 1901), aged 2, Cornish settler, from Camborne, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship “Teutonic” arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 9th April 1903 en route to Grass Valley, California, USA [15]
• Miss Cerita Jones, (b. 1902), aged 1, Cornish settler, from Camborne, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship “Teutonic” arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 9th April 1903 en route to Grass Valley, California, USA [15]