Jones

The surname Jones first appears on record as a surname in England in 1273 with the name "Matilda Jones". Others put the first known record of the surname Jones as 1279, in Huntingdonshire, England. Around the time of the Laws in Wales Acts, the traditional Welsh system of patronymics was increasingly replaced by surnames. Furthermore, Christian names such as John which were common in England had become increasingly preferred to distinctively Welsh Christian names such as Meredudd (Meredith) and Llewelyn. Thus "Mab Ioan" or "ap Sion" (and many other variations) meaning "son of John" became the surname Jones in a large number of cases, making it a very frequently used surname.

Jones is a surname of Welsh origin, meaning "Ioan's son". Jones ultimately evolved from the Hebrew name יְהוֹחָנָן (Yəhôḥānān), Johan for short, when Welsh culture adopted the name, it evolved to variations of traditionally Welsh names; Ieuan, Iowan, Ioan & Iwan, the letter 'J' originally being pronounced as 'i', akin to how J is pronounced in the latin alphabet.

It is most popular in Wales, spreading outward from the mainland into England.

Jones remains the most widespread surname in Wales, borne by 5.75% of the population. The frequency in England is lower, at 0.75%, but still the second most popular surname, after Smith. The 2000 United States census provides a frequency of 0.50%, providing an overall rank of fifth most frequent with 57.7% White, 37.7% Black, 1.4% Hispanic, 0.9% Native American. Jones was the fourth most common surname in the 1990 U.S. Census, behind only Smith, Johnson and Williams.