Surnames Starting with J

usage
Jabłoński Polish
Originally denoted someone who lived by an apple tree, from Polish jabłoń meaning "apple tree".
Jack English, Scottish
From the given name Jack.
Jackman English
Means "servant of Jack".
Jackson English
Means "son of Jack". Famous bearers of this name are the American president Andrew Jackson (1767-1845) and the singer Michael Jackson (1958-2009).
Jacobs English, Dutch
Derived from the given name Jacob.
Jacobse Dutch
Variant of Jacobs.
Jacobsen Danish
Means "son of Jacob".
Jacobson English
Means "son of Jacob".
Jacques French
From the French given name Jacques.
Jacquet French
From a diminutive of the given name Jacques.
Jaeger German
Variant of Jäger.
Jafari Persian
From the given name Jafar.
Jäger German
Means "hunter" in German, from Old High German jagon meaning "to hunt".
Jager German
Variant of Jäger.
Jagger English
From an English word meaning "carter, peddler". A famous bearer is the British musician Mick Jagger (1943-), the lead singer of the Rolling Stones.
Jagoda Polish
Means "berry" in Polish.
Jahn German
From a Low German short form of Johannes.
Jahoda Czech
Czech cognate of Jagoda.
Jain Indian, Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati
Referred to a person who followed the principles of Jainism, a religion practiced in India. Jains are the followers of Lord Mahavira (599-527 BC).
Jakab Hungarian
Derived from the given name Jakab.
Jakeman English
Means "servant of Jack".
Jakobsen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Jakob".
James English
Derived from the given name James.
Jameson English
Means "son of James".
Jamison English
Means "son of James".
Jamshidi Persian
From the given name Jamshid.
Janda Czech, Polish
Derived from the given name Jan 1.
Jandáček Czech
From a diminutive of the given name Jan 1.
Janíček Czech
Derived from the given name Jan 1.
Jankauskas Lithuanian
Lithuanian form of Janowski.
Jankovic Slovak
Means "son of Janko".
Jankovič Slovene
Means "son of Janko".
Jankovics Hungarian
Means "son of Jankó", a diminutive of János.
Jankowski Polish
Habitational name for a person from a town named Jankowo or Janków, all derived from the given name Janek.
Janowski Polish
Habitational name for a person from a town named Janowo, Janów or Janowice, all derived from the given name Jan 1.
Jans Dutch, German
Means "son of Jan 1".
Jansen Dutch, Norwegian
Means "son of Jan 1". This is the second most common Dutch surname.
Jansens Dutch
Variant of Jansen.
Jansing Dutch
Variant of Jansen.
Jansingh Dutch
Variant of Jansen.
Jansink Dutch
Variant of Jansen.
Jansons Latvian
Latvian form of Jansson.
Janssen Dutch
Means "son of Jan 1".
Janssens Dutch, Flemish
Means "son of Jan 1".
Jansson Swedish
Means "son of Jan 1".
Janvier French
Either from the given name Janvier or the French word janvier meaning "January", perhaps indicating a person who was baptized in that month.
Janz German
Means "son of Jan 1".
Janzen Dutch
Means "son of Jan 1".
Jardine English, Scottish
Means "garden", denoting someone who worked as a gardener.
Järvi Finnish
Means "lake" in Finnish.
Järvinen Finnish
Derived from Finnish järvi meaning "lake". It is one of the most common surnames in Finland.
Jarvis English
Derived from the given name Gervais.
Jaskólski Polish
Originally indicated a person from various Polish towns named Jaskółki, derived from Polish jaskółka "swallow (bird)".
Jaso Basque
Derived from Basque jats meaning "sorghum", a type of cereal grass.
Jasso Basque
Variant of Jaso.
Jean French
From the given name Jean 1.
Jeanes 1 English
Derived from the given name Jan, a medieval English form of John.
Jeanes 2 English
Originally denoted a person who came from Genoa, Italy.
Jedlička Czech
Derived from Czech jedle meaning "fir tree", perhaps given to a person who lived near a prominent one.
Jedynak Polish
Means "only child" in Polish.
Jeffers English
Patronymic from the given name Jeffrey. A famous bearer was poet Robinson Jeffers (1887-1962).
Jefferson English
Means "son of Jeffrey". A famous bearer was American president Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826). Since this surname was sometimes adopted by freed slaves, it is now more common among the African-American population.
Jeffery English
Derived from the given name Jeffrey.
Jeffries English
Patronymic from the given name Jeffrey.
Jehlička Czech
From Czech jehla meaning "needle", most likely borne by tailors in reference to their occupation.
Jekyll English
Derived from the Breton given name Judicaël. This name was used by Robert Louis Stevenson for the character of Dr Henry Jekyll in the book Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1886).
Jelen Czech
From a nickname meaning "stag" in Czech.
Jeleń Polish
Polish form of Jelen.
Jelínek Czech
Diminutive of Jelen.
Jenkins English
From the given name Jenkin, a diminutive of Jen, itself a Middle English form of John.
Jennings English
From the given name Jenyn, a diminutive of Jen, itself a Middle English form of John.
Jensen Danish, Norwegian
Means "son of Jens". This is the most common surname in Denmark.
Jenson Danish (Anglicized)
Americanized form of Jensen.
Jenssen Norwegian
Means "son of Jens".
Jensson Icelandic
Means "son of Jens".
Jeong Korean
Korean form of Zheng, from Sino-Korean (jeong).
Jeppesen Danish
Means "son of Jeppe".
Jepson English
Means "son of Jep".
Jernigan English
Possibly derived from the old Breton name Iarnogon meaning "iron famous".
Jérôme French
Derived from the given name Jérôme.
Jerome English
Derived from the given name Jerome. A famous bearer of this surname was the American-born Jennie Jerome (1854-1921), Lady Randolph Churchill, mother of Sir Winston Churchill.
Jervis English
Variant of Jarvis.
Jespersen Danish
Means "son of Jesper".
Jesus Portuguese
Derived from the given name Jesus.
Jewel English
Variant of Jewell.
Jewell English
Derived from the Breton given name Judicaël.
Jež Slovene, Czech
Cognate of Jeż.
Jeż Polish
Means "hedgehog" in Polish. It may have originally been given to a person who resembled a hedgehog in some way.
Ježek Czech
Diminutive form of Jež.
Jiang 1 Chinese
From Chinese (jiāng) meaning "river, Yangtze".
Jiang 2 Chinese
From Chinese (jiāng) meaning "ginger".
Jiménez Spanish
Means "son of Jimeno".
Jin Chinese
From Chinese (jīn) meaning "gold".
Jinks English
Means "son of Jenk", a short form of Jenkin, a diminutive of Jen, itself a Middle English form of John.
Jo Korean
Alternate transcription of Korean Hangul (see Cho).
Hungarian
Means "good" in Hungarian.
Johansen Norwegian, Danish
Means "son of Johan". This is the second most common Norwegian surname.
Johansson Swedish
Means "son of Johan". This is the second most common surname in Sweden.
John English
Derived from the given name John. A famous bearer is British musician Elton John (1947-), born Reginald Dwight.
Johns English
Derived from the given name John.
Johnsen Norwegian, Danish
Means "son of John".
Johnson English
Means "son of John". Famous bearers include American presidents Andrew Johnson (1808-1875) and Lyndon B. Johnson (1908-1973).
Johnsson Swedish
Means "son of John".
Johnston Scottish
From the name of a Scottish town, which meant "John's town".
Joiner English
Occupational name for a carpenter (that is, a person who joins wood together to make furniture).
Jokela Finnish
Derived from Finnish joki "river".
Jokinen Finnish
Derived from Finnish joki "river".
Jokumsen Danish
Means "son of Jokum".
Jöllenbeck German
From the name of a village in western Germany, itself derived from the name of the Jölle, a small river, combined with Low German beck "stream".
Joly French
From Old French joli meaning "happy, jolly, pretty".
Jonaitis Lithuanian
From the given name Jonas 1.
Jónás Hungarian
Derived from the given name Jónás.
Jonasen Danish
Means "son of Jonas 2".
Jonasson Swedish
Means "son of Jonas 2".
Jonckers Dutch
Patronymic form of Jonker.
Jones English, Welsh
Derived from the given name Jon, a medieval variant of John.
Jonker Dutch
From the Dutch title jonkheer meaning "young lord". It was originally a medieval noble designation (not an actual title) for a young nobleman.
Jonkers Dutch
Patronymic form of Jonker.
Jonkheer Dutch
Variant of Jonker.
Jönsson Swedish
Means "son of Jöns".
Jonsson Swedish
Means "son of Jon 1".
Joó Hungarian
Variant of .
Joossens Flemish
Means "son of Joos".
Joosten Dutch
Derived from the given name Joost.
Jordà Catalan
Derived from the given name Jordà.
Jordan 1 English, French, German
Derived from the given name Jordan.
Jordan 2 Jewish
Derived from the name of the Jordan river, which is from Hebrew יָרַד (yarad) meaning "descend" or "flow down".
Jorge Spanish, Portuguese
From the given name Jorge.
Jørgensen Danish
Means "son of Jørgen".
Joseph English, French
Derived from the given name Joseph.
Josephs English
Derived from the given name Joseph.
Josephson English
Means "son of Joseph".
Joshi Indian, Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Nepali
From Sanskrit ज्योतिश (jyotisha) meaning "astronomer".
Joubert French
From the given name Gaubert.
Jovanović Serbian
Means "son of Jovan".
Jovanovski Macedonian
Means "son of Jovan".
Joyce English, Irish
From the given name Joyce.
Joyner English
Variant of Joiner.
Juan Spanish
From the given name Juan 1.
Judd English
Derived from the medieval name Judd.
Jughashvili Georgian (Rare)
Meaning uncertain. One theory suggests Ossetian roots with the meaning "son of the herder", derived from Ossetian дзуг (dzug) meaning "herd, flock, troop". Alternately, it could be derived from the name of the village of ჯუღაანი (Jughaani) in eastern Georgia. The most notable bearer was Joseph Stalin (1878-1953), born Ioseb Jughashvili, a leader of the Soviet Union.
Jugovac Croatian
From Croatian jug meaning "south".
Juhász Hungarian
Occupational name meaning "shepherd" in Hungarian, from juh "sheep".
Jukić Croatian
Derived from a diminutive of the given name Juraj.
Julien French
From the given name Julien.
Jundt German
Derived from a diminutive of the feminine given name Judith.
Jung 1 German
Means "young" in German, from Middle High German junc.
Jung 2 Korean
Alternate transcription of Korean Hangul (see Jeong).
Junge German
Variant of Jung 1.
Jurić Croatian
Means "son of Jure".
Juriša Croatian
Derived from a diminutive form of Jure.
Jusić Bosnian
Perhaps means "son of Josip".