- Johnson
Family name
name = Johnson
imagesize=
caption=
pronunciation = "John-son"
meaning = derived from "son of John"
region = England, Scotland
origin = Anglo-Saxon
related names =
footnotes = [cite web |url=http://www.census.gov/genealogy/names/names_files.html |title=1990 Census Name Files] The name Johnson is an English and Scottishpatronymic first name ofAnglo-Saxon language origin. The name itself is a patronym of thegiven name "John ", literally meaning "son of John." The name "John" derives fromLatin "Johannes ", which is derived through Greek "Iōannēs", fromHebrew "Yohanan " meaning "Jehovah has favoured". The name was extremely popular inEurope since theChristian era , as a result of it being given toSt. John the Baptist ,St. John the Evangelist and nearly one thousand otherChristian saints .cite web |url=http://www.ancestry.com/learn/facts/Fact.aspx?&fid=10&fn=&ln=johnson Name meanings |title=Johnson name meanings |publisher=ancestry.com |accessdate=2007-10-22]Description
The name "Johnson" has had many historical spelling variations such as: "Jonessone" 1287, 1296; "Jonesone" 1321; "Johnson", "Johanson", "Jonson" 1379; "Geynson" 1595; "Jeynson" 1667. cite book |last=Reaney |title=A Dictionary of English Surnames |page=256]
In
Ireland , the surname can also be anAnglicisation of the Gaelic "Mac Seáin" (MacShane). "Seán" is aGaelicisation of theNorman-French "Jean ".cite web |url=http://www.ireland.com/ancestor/surname/index.cfm?fuseaction=Go.&UserID= |title=Surname search |accessdate=2007-10-22] The MacShanes were a branch of the O'Neills of Tyrone.In
North America , the surname "Johnson" has absorbed many derivatives of this patronym from European languages. It is the second most common family name in theUnited States after Smith. During the 1990census , approximately 0.81% of people counted had this family name. [United States Census Bureau (9 May 1995 ). . Retrieved on25 February 2008 .]Notable people sharing the surname "Johnson"
References
See also
*
Jonson
*Jonsson
*Johansson
*Johnsson
*Johnston
*Jovanović External links
* [http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~hjohnson/index.html Johnson Surname DNA Project]
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