Contents [hide]

Jean History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables World Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Jean History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France
Spain
Scotland

Etymology of Jean

What does the name Jean mean?

The Jean surname is a patronymic name created from the personal name Jan, which was a Middle English variant of the name John, or as "son of Jan." 1

Early Origins of the Jean family

The surname Jean was first found in Cornwall, where a record in the Ministers' Accounts of the Earldom of Cornwall shows a Simon Ianes in 1297. A John Janne was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Cornwall in 1327, and a William Jan was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Somerset in that same year. 2

Kirby's Quest listed Robert Janes and William Janes, both in Somerset temp. 1 Edward III. 3

Jane or Johanna (d. 1445), Queen of Scotland, "was the daughter of John Beaufort, earl of Somerset. Her mother was Margaret, daughter of Thomas Holland, second earl of Kent, and niece of Richard II, who became after her first husband's death Duchess of Clarence. James I, King of Scotland, when a prisoner at Windsor, saw her walking in the garden of the castle, fell in love at first sight, and wrote the story of his love in the 'Kingis Quair.' The marriage, which suited the English rulers, and was made one of the conditions of his release, took place at St. Mary Overy Church in Southwark on 12 Feb. 1424. " 4

Early History of the Jean family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Jean research. Another 156 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1275, 1438, 1449, 1480, 1499, 1500, 1510, 1600, 1611, 1620, 1621, 1625, 1640, 1643, 1645, 1660, 1662, 1680, 1707 and 1716 are included under the topic Early Jean History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Jean Spelling Variations

Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence in the eras before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate regularly changed the spellings of their names as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Jean have been found, including Janes, Jans, J'Anes, Jeanne, Jeynes, Jayne, Jane and many more.

Early Notables of the Jean family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Henry Jeanes (1611-1662), was an English clergyman and Puritan controversialist. He was the son of Christopher Jeanes of Kingston in Somerset, was born at Allansay in the same county in 1611. 4

Jean World Ranking

In Canada, the name Jean is the 303^rd most popular surname with an estimated 14,382 people with that name. 5 However, in Quebec, Canada, the name Jean is ranked the 99^th most popular surname. 6 And in the United States, the name Jean is the 1,909^th popular surname with an estimated 17,409 people with that name. 7 France ranks Jean as 68^th with 35,632 people. 8

Jean migration to Canada +

For many English families, the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. For such families, the shores of Ireland, Australia, and the New World beckoned. They left their homeland at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. Many arrived after the long voyage sick, starving, and without a penny. But even those were greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. Numerous English settlers who arrived in the United States and Canada at this time went on to make important contributions to the developing cultures of those countries. 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 Jean were among those contributors:

Jean Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century

Denis Jean, son of Élie and Élisabeth, who married Marie Peltier, daughter of Nicolas and Jeanne, in Quebec on 30th August 1655 9
Vivien Jean, son of Vivien and Suzanne, who married Catherine Gateau, daughter of Odart and Geneviève, in Quebec on 29th October 1671 9
Gilles Jean, son of Jacques and Agnès, who married Jeanne Masse, daughter of Pierre and Marie, in Quebec on 21st June 1674 9
Élie Jean, son of Vivien and Élisabeth, who married Marie Gagnesse, daughter of Pierre and Madeleine, in Quebec on 20th January 1676 9
Jean Baptiste Jean, who arrived in Montreal in 1676
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Jean Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Pierre Jean, son of Élie and Marie, who married Catherine Blondeau, daughter of François and Nicole, in Charlesbourg, Quebec on 24th November 1701 9
Ignace Jean, son of Jean and Catherine, who married Angélique Dandonneau, daughter of Louis and Marguerite, in Montreal, Quebec on 2nd February 1710 9
Léonard Jean, son of Léonard and Anne, who married Marie Varin, daughter of Marin and Marie, in Montreal, Quebec on 26th November 1712 9
Gérard Jean, son of Jean and Marie, who married Marie-Louise Chaillé, daughter of François and Françoise, in Quebec on 28th September 1730 9
Louis Jean, son of Denis and Marie, who married Marie-Catherine Mexeray, daughter of Thomas and Louise, in Terrebonne, Quebec on 16th June 1732 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Jean migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Jean Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

René Jean settled with his wife Marguerite Pepin in Louisiana in 1719
Rene Jean, aged 52, who landed in Louisiana in 1719 10
Jean Antoine Jean, who settled in Louisiana in 1752
Pierre Joseph Jean, who settled in Louisiana in 1752
Pierre Armin Jean, who settled in Philadelphia in 1753
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Jean Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Jean Christophe Grand Jean, who landed in New York in 1833 10
Lertel Jean, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1844 10
Zilliox Jean, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1846 10
Peter Gustavus Saint Jean, who settled in Philadelphia in 1848
Joseph Jean, aged 23, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1850 10

Contemporary Notables of the name Jean (post 1700) +

Michaëlle Jean CC CMM COM CD (b. 1957), Haitian-born, Canadian journalist, 27th Governor General of Canada
Max Jean (b. 1943), French former racing driver who won the Formule France championship in 1968
Earl Jude Jean (b. 1971), former St. Lucian footballer
Major-General Raymond-Damien Jean (1891-1949), French General during World War II 11
Trafton Jean (b. 1972), American Libertarian politician, Candidate for Michigan State House of Representatives 85th District, 2000; Treasurer of Michigan Libertarian Party, 2001-02 12
Paul Jean, American Republican politician, Candidate for New Hampshire State House of Representatives from Manchester 6th Ward, 1938 12
Jean B. Jean, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Massachusetts, 1908 12
Charles A. Jean, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Illinois, 1948; Chair of Union County Republican Party, 1950 12
Arthur J. Jean, American Democratic Party politician, Elected New Hampshire State House of Representatives from Manchester 7th Ward 1938 12
Honore St. Jean, American Republican politician, Candidate for New Hampshire State House of Representatives from Manchester 9th Ward, 1938 13

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
"Surnames Meanings, Origins & Distribution Maps - Forebears." Forebears, https://forebears.io/surnames
"The first 1,000 family names by rank, Quebec (in French only)" Institut de la statistique du Quebec, https://statistique.quebec.ca/en/document/family-names-in-quebec/tableau/the-first-1000-family-names-by-rank-quebec
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
Internoscia, Arthur E., and Claire Chevrier. Dictionnaire National des Canadiens Français 1608-1760. Vol. 1, Institut Drouin, 1958.
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)
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2011, October 5) Raymond-Damien Jean. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Jean/Raymond-Damien/France.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 8) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 21) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html