Contents [hide]

Jewett History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Suggested Reading Sources

Jewett History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Jewett

What does the name Jewett mean?

Jewett is one of the many new names that came to England following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The name Jewett comes from the ancient personal name Julien. The surname of Jowett was a baptismal name which means Julien. 1

Alternatively, the name could have been derived from the French "jouet" which means "play, sport, fun." English records we find both Jouet and Jowet." 2

Another source agrees with this direction. The Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae lists Geoffry Guuit (or Guet), Normandy, 1180-95. "Matilda Joute, Richard Joyet, William Juet, Engl. c. 1272." 3

Early Origins of the Jewett family

The surname Jewett was first found in Cheshire where they held a family seat as Lords of the manor of Bredbury from early times. The lands were granted by William the Conqueror to a Norman noble by the name Jouet, from the Isle of Rhe in France. By the twelfth century they had branched to Ashton-under-Lyme in that same shire.

Early English rolls provide us a glimpse of the spelling variations used through Medieval times. Today we typically need to look beyond the spellings of these entries and concentrate on a phonetic appreciation of the names.

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 had only one listing: William Juet, Huntingdonshire. 4 William Jouet was listed in the Assize Rolls for Staffordshire in 1229 and the next year, Richard Jouot was listed in the same county in the Assize Rolls of 1300. In Kent, Goger Guet was found in the Assize Rolls for 1317 and later, Robert Jowet was found in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379. 1

Early History of the Jewett family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Jewett research. Another 118 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1451, 1452, 1591, 1592, 1613, 1614, 1631, 1639, 1641, 1643, 1675, 1693, 1694, 1701 and 1720 are included under the topic Early Jewett History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Jewett Spelling Variations

Multitudes of spelling variations are a hallmark of Anglo Norman names. Most of these names evolved in the 11th and 12th century, in the time after the Normans introduced their own Norman French language into a country where Old and Middle English had no spelling rules and the languages of the court were French and Latin. To make matters worse, medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, so names frequently appeared differently in the various documents in which they were recorded. The name was spelled Jowett, Jowet, Jowit, Jowitt, Jewett, Jewet, Juet, Jouet, Juett and many more.

Early Notables of the Jewett family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Nehemiah Jewett (1643-1720), an American colonial politician, Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives (1693-1694) and in 1701; during his tenure, he was responsible for compensating thos...
Randal or Randolph Jewett (d. 1675), was an organist and composer, is said to have received the (honorary?) degree of Mus. Bac. at Trinity College, Dublin, and to have studied music under Orlando Gibb...

Jewett Ranking

In the United States, the name Jewett is the 3,860^th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 5

Jewett migration to the United States +

Because of this political and religious unrest within English society, many people decided to immigrate to the colonies. Families left for Ireland, North America, and Australia in enormous numbers, traveling at high cost in extremely inhospitable conditions. The New World in particular was a desirable destination, but the long voyage caused many to arrive sick and starving. Those who made it, though, were welcomed by opportunities far greater than they had known at home in England. Many of these families went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Jewett or a variant listed above:

Jewett Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Joseph and Maximilian Jewett who settled in Massachusetts in 1630
Joseph Jewett, who landed in Massachusetts in 1638 6
Edward Jewett, who emigrated from Lincolnshire, England, in 1638 and settled in Rowley, Massachusetts, his descendant founded Jewett City, Connecticut
Miss Ann Jewett, British settler traveling aboard the ship "John of London" arriving in Boston, Massachuetts in 1638 7
Mr. Jeremiah Jewett, British settler traveling aboard the ship "John of London" arriving in Boston, Massachuetts in 1638 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Jewett Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Benjamin Jewett, who settled in Portland Maine in 1822
Elizabeth Jewett, who settled in Norfolk, Virginia in 1823
E Jewett, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1850 6
W Jewett, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1850 6
H Jewett, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Jewett migration to Australia +

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

Jewett Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Daniel Jewett, (b. 1820), aged 23, English labourer who was convicted in Southampton, Hampshire, England for 7 years for stealing transported aboard the "Forfarshire" on 24th June 1843, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he died in 1869 8

Contemporary Notables of the name Jewett (post 1700) +

Willem W. Jewett (1963-2022), American Democratic politician, Member of the Vermont House of Representatives from the Addison's 2nd District, (2003-2017),Vice-Chair of House Judiciary (2015-2016)
Christine Jewett (1926-2018), née Beckett, Canadian outfielder who played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League from Regina, Saskatchewan, inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame
Hugh Judge Jewett (1817-1898), American railroader and politician, President of the Erie Railroad (1874 to 1884)
Charles Webster Jewett (1884-1961), American lawyer and Republican politician, Mayor of Indianapolis (1918â€“1922)
Charles W. Jewett (1913-2000), American politician, the 73rd Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut (1955 to 1959)
Charles Coffin Jewett (1816-1868), American librarian, Librarian and Assistant Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution in 1848
Eliezer Jewett (1730-1817), American namesake of Jewett City, Connecticut
Luther Jewett (1772-1860), American physician, minister and politician, United States Representative from Vermont (1811-1815)
Philip Trent Jewett (b. 1964), American Major League Baseball coach and former minor league baseball player
Sarah Orne Jewett (1849-1909), American novelist and short story writer, her family's home built in 1774 is now a National Historic Landmark and Historic New England museum
... (Another 2 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Jewett Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Animo et prudentia
Motto Translation: By courage and prudence.

Sources +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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 October 6th 2021 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 20th October 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/forfarshire