Jennings History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Etymology of Jennings

What does the name Jennings mean?

The history of the name Jennings began when it was derived from The name Jennings is derived from the personal name John, or perhaps more accurately from several diminutions of the name John, such as Jan, Jon, or Jen. 1

Patronymic surnames belong to the larger category of surnames, known as hereditary surnames, and they arose out of the vernacular and religious given name traditions. In the religious naming tradition, which was developed later than the vernacular tradition, surnames were bestowed in honor of religious figures or church officials. In Europe, the Christian Church was one of the most powerful influences on the formation of given names. Personal names derived from the names of saints, apostles, biblical figures, and missionaries are widespread in most European countries. In the Middle Ages, they became increasingly popular because people believed that the souls of the deceased continued to be involved in this world. They named their children after saints in the hope that the child would be blessed or protected by the saint. John, of course, is derived from John the Baptist, who was born in order to announce Christ's coming.

Early Origins of the Jennings family

The surname Jennings was first found in Sussex where Roger Jonyng was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of 1296. A few years later in 1327, the Subsidy Rolls for Worcestershire listed Walter Jannen and Richard Janyns in 1327. In the same year, John Janyng was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Sussex. From these early entries, we must look over 100 years later to find Thomas Jenyn in the Feet of Fines for Sussex in 1428. 2

Two other sources had interesting entries with spellings that have fallen out of favour. The Register of the University of Oxford includes John Genens, or Jenens, citizen of Oxford in 1573 and Francis Jenance, or Jennens, or Jenens in the same year. In Norfolk, Thomas Jennyns was registered there, 13 Elizabeth (during the 13th year of Elizabeth I's reign) 3

Early History of the Jennings family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Jennings research. Another 275 words (20 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1332, 1450, 1489, 1499, 1508, 1509, 1523, 1524, 1567, 1570, 1571, 1591, 1610, 1619, 1634, 1636, 1642, 1660, 1661, 1662, 1663, 1664, 1668, 1687, 1688, 1690, 1691, 1693, 1700, 1701, 1710, 1717, 1731, 1740, 1743, 1745, 1747, 1762, 1773, 1819 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Jennings History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Jennings Spelling Variations

There are many spelling variations of Breton surnames, because the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The official court languages, which were Latin and French, were also influential on the spelling of a surname. Since the spelling of surnames was rarely consistent in medieval times, and scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find references to one individual with many different spellings of their surname in the ancient chronicles. Moreover, a large number of foreign names were brought into England, which accelerated and accentuated the alterations to the spelling of various surnames. The name has been spelled Jennings, Jenings, Jennins, Jennyns, Jennens, Jennynge, Jennynges, Jenyns and many more.

Early Notables of the Jennings family

Notable of this family during the Middle Ages was

Richard Jennings or Jenyns (c. 1619-1668), was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1642 and 1668, father of Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough, who was confidant of Quee...
In the infamous side, Henry Jennings (died 1745), was a British privateer who served primarily during the War of Spanish Succession and later served as leader of the pirate haven of New Providence

Jennings World Ranking

In the United States, the name Jennings is the 274^th most popular surname with an estimated 96,993 people with that name. 4 However, in Newfoundland, Canada, the name Jennings is ranked the 458^th most popular surname with an estimated 103 people with that name. 5 And in Australia, the name Jennings is the 291^st popular surname with an estimated 12,136 people with that name. 6 New Zealand ranks Jennings as 388^th with 1,674 people. 7 The United Kingdom ranks Jennings as 282^nd with 21,680 people. 8

Migration of the Jennings family to Ireland

Some of the Jennings family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 66 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Jennings migration to the United States +

An examination of many early immigration records reveals that people bearing the name Jennings arrived in North America very early:

Jennings Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Miss Mary Jennings, who left England and arrived in Maryland in 1634 aboard the ship "Ark and Dove" 9
Nicholas Jennings, aged 22, who landed in New England in 1634 aboard the ship "Francis" 9
Jane Jennings, aged 25, who arrived in Virginia aboard the ship "David" in 1635 9
Jon Jennings, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 9
Rev. Henry Jennings, aged 24, who arrived in Bermuda, (Somers Islands) in 1635 aboard the ship "Truelove" 10
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Jennings Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

William Jennings, who landed in Leeward Islands in 1703-1704 9

Jennings Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

George Jennings, who landed in New York in 1826 9
Charles Jennings, who arrived in New York in 1835 9
Joseph Jennings, who landed in New York in 1835 9
Edward Jennings, who landed in New York in 1838 9
Mr. J. Jennings, (b. 1836), aged 30, Cornish settler departing from Falmouth aboard the ship "Cornwall" arriving in the United States on 3 June 1841 11
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Jennings Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Mrs. Robert Jennings, (b. 1880), aged 20, Cornish labourer from St. Ives, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "Majestic" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 25th July 1900 en route to Calumet, Michigan, USA 12
Mrs. Thomas Jennings, (b. 1870), aged 30, Cornish farmer travelling aboard the ship "St Paul" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 31st March 1900 en route to New York, USA 12
Christian Jennings, who landed in Pike County, Ind in 1900 9
Mrs. George Jennings, (b. 1874), aged 29, Cornish miner travelling aboard the ship "Philadelphia" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 11th June 1903 en route to Ishpeming, Michigan, USA 12
Mrs. Samuel John Jennings, (b. 1863), aged 41, Cornish compositor from Truro, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "Arabic" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 17th October 1904 en route to New York, USA 12
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Jennings migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Jennings Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Benjamin Jennings, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1750
Mr. Thomas Jennings U.E. (b. 1736) born in Sandwich, Massachusetts, USA who settled in Grand Lake, Queens County, New Brunswick c. 1784 he died in 1839 13

Jennings Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Francis Jennings, aged 34, a farmer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1834 aboard the barque "New Brunswick" from Liverpool, England
Sarah Jennings, aged 30, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1834 aboard the barque "New Brunswick" from Liverpool, England
Mr. Austin Jennings, aged 45 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "George" departing from the port of Liverpool, England but died on Grosse Isle In June 1847 14
Mrs. Margaret Jennings, aged 40 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Jane Avery" departing from the port of Dublin, Ireland but died on Grosse Isle In July 1847 14
Miss. Mary Jennings, aged 12 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "George" departing from the port of Liverpool, England but died on Grosse Isle In June 1847 14
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Jennings migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Jennings Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Miss Charlotte Jennings, (b. 1784), aged 16, English servant who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Earl Cornwallis" in August 1800, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, she died in 1839 15
Jonathan Jennings, English convict from Durham, who was transported aboard the "Ann" on August 1809, settling in New South Wales, Australia 16
Miss Mary Jennings, English convict who was convicted in Surrey, England for life, transported aboard the "Canada" in March 1810, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 17
Miss Ann Jennings, English convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Broxbournebury" in January 1814, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 18
Mr. Thomas Jennings, English labourer who was convicted in Kent, England for life, transported aboard the "Fanny" on 25th August 1815, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 19
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Jennings migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Jennings Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Charles Jennings, aged 32, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Martha Ridgway" in 1842
Elizabeth Jennings, aged 22, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Martha Ridgway" in 1842
Francis Jennings, aged 1, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Martha Ridgway" in 1842
John Jennings, aged 1 month, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Martha Ridgway" in 1842
William Jennings, aged 31, a labourer, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Mary Ann" in 1842
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Jennings migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 20

Jennings Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Mr. Richard Jennings, (b. 1600), aged 35, British settler travelling aboard the ship "The Dorset" arriving in Barbados in September 1635 21
Miss Sarah Jennings, (b. 1617), aged 18, British settler travelling aboard the ship "The Dorset" arriving in Barbados in September 1635 21
John Jennings, who settled in Barbados in 1663

Contemporary Notables of the name Jennings (post 1700) +

Jean Marie Jennings (1954-2024), née Lienert, American journalist, publisher and television personality
Wilbur H. Jennings (1944-2024), American lyricist, best known for the lyrics "Up Where We Belong", "Tears in Heaven" and "My Heart Will Go On"
Jonathan Jennings (1784-1834), American politician, the 1st Governor of the State of Indiana and a nine-term congressman from Indiana
David M. Jennings (1948-2023), American politician, Speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives, and Superintendent of Eastern Carver County School District 112, based in Chaska
J. Russell "Russ" Jennings (1955-2021), American politician, Member of the Kansas House of Representatives from the 122nd district (2013-2021)
John Edward Jennings (1953-2015), American guitarist, multi-instrumentalist, and music producer
J. B. Jennings (b. 1974), American politician, Member of the Maryland Senate (2011-)
Hugh Ambrose Jennings (1869-1928), American Major League Baseball player and manager, posthumously inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1945
Gregory Jennings Jr. (b. 1983), American NFL football wide receiver for the Minnesota Vikings
Francis "Fritz" Jennings (1918-2000), American historian
... (Another 145 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Jennings family +

Air New Zealand Flight 901

Mr. Charles Ivory Jennings (1935-1979), New Zealander passenger, from Taradale, North Island, New Zealand aboard the Air New Zealand Flight 901 for an Antarctic sightseeing flight when it flew into Mount Erebus; he died in the crash 22

Arrow Air Flight 1285

Mr. Donny Kerry Jennings (1960-1985), American Staff Sergeant from Clarksville, Tennessee, USA who died in the Arrow Air Flight 1285 crash 23
Mr. Todd Martice Jennings (1965-1985), New York, USA, American Specialist 4th Class from Yonkers, New York, USA who died in the Arrow Air Flight 1285 crash 23

Halifax Explosion

Master Douglas R. Jennings (1917-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 24

HMAS Sydney II

Mr. David Mathias Jennings (1916-1941), Australian Able Seaman from Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, who sailed into battle aboard HMAS Sydney II and died in the sinking 25

HMS Dorsetshire

John Edward Telford Jennings (d. 1945), British Sub Lieutenant Paymaster aboard the HMS Dorsetshire when she was struck by air bombers and sunk; he died in the sinking 26

HMS Hood

Mr. Walter H W Jennings (b. 1906), English Chief Petty Officer serving for the Royal Navy from Ryde, Isle of Wight, England, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 27

HMS Repulse

Mr. William Glynne Jennings, British Blacksmith 5th Class, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and died in the sinking 28

HMS Royal Oak

Russel Ernest Jennings (1923-1939), British Boy 1st Class with the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he died in the sinking 29

Prince of Wales colliery

Mr. H. C. Jennings (b. 1864), Welsh coal miner who was working at the Prince of Wales colliery in Abercarn, Wales on the 11th September 1878 when there was a coal mine explosion; he died 30

Sources +

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)
Rye, Walter, A History of Norfolk. London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, 1885. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
The order of Common Surnames in 1955 in Newfoundland retrieved on 20th October 2021 (retrieved from Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland by E.R. Seary corrected edition ISBN 0-7735-1782-0)
"Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
"Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
"UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
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)
Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's Retrieved January 6th 2023, retrieved from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, April 30). Emigrants to New York 1820 - 1891 [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_new_york_1820_1891.pdf
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_ellis_island_1892_on.pdf
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 35)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 13th August 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-cornwallis
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Ann voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1809 with 200 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/ann/1809
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 9th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/canada
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 3rd November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/broxbournebury
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 28th September 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/fairlie
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Pilgrim Ship Lists Early 1600's retrieved 29th September 2021. Retrieved from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
Mount Erebus, Memorial, Roll of Remembrance (Retrieved 2018, February 21st). Retrieved from http://www.erebus.co.nz/memorialandawards/rollofremembrance.aspx
American War Memorials - Flight 1285. (Retrieved 2016, August 24) . Retrieved from http://www.uswarmemorials.org/html/monument_details.php?SiteID=317&MemID=550
Halifax Explosion Book of Remembrance | Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. (Retrieved 2014, June 23) . Retrieved from https://maritimemuseum.novascotia.ca/what-see-do/halifax-explosion/halifax-explosion-book-remembrance
HMAS Sydney II, Finding Sydney Foundation - Roll of Honour. (Retrieved 2014, April 24) . Retrieved from http://www.findingsydney.com/roll.asp
Force Z Survivors HMS Dorsetshire Crew List, (Retrieved 2018, February 13th), https://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listdorsetshirecrew.html
H.M.S. Hood Association-Battle Cruiser Hood: Crew Information - H.M.S. Hood Rolls of Honour, Men Lost in the Sinking of H.M.S. Hood, 24th May 1941. (Retrieved 2016, July 15) . Retrieved from http://www.hmshood.com/crew/memorial/roh_24may41.htm
HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html
Ships hit by U-boats crew list HMS Royal Oak (08) - (Retrieved 2018 February, 9th) - retrieved from https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/crews/ship68.html
Entombed in flood and flame (retrieved 3rd August 2021). Retrieved from https://web.archive.org/web/20120603025705/http://www.crosskeys.me.uk/history/prince.htm