Jennings Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Jennings last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
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Meaning and origin of the Jennings last name
Meaning of the Jennings last name: son of Jenin, little John. Jennings means son of Jenin, a medieval pet form of John. Little forms like this were very popular in the Middle Ages and gave rise to many surnames. A curious detail: the name John was so common in medieval England that people used dozens of nicknames for it, and several of them, like Jenkin and Jennings, became surnames of their own.
Arms associated with the Jennings name
In medieval England colours carried meaning, with blue for loyalty and red for courage, and the Jennings name belongs to that tradition.
Get your full Jennings family history
This is only a glimpse of the Jennings story. The full Jennings history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted Jennings coat of arms. Get the full Jennings report.
Jennings name FAQ
What does the Jennings name mean?
Son of Jenin, little John. Common variants include Jenning, Jenyns, Jenkins.
Where does the Jennings surname come from?
It originates in England, and is also found in the United States, Ireland and Australia.
Is there a Jennings coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Jennings coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Researched by Herald Lab Research Studio, since 1993. Sources: Reaney & Wilson, Dictionary of English Surnames; Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford); US Census Bureau 2010.