The name Jacques, derived from Jacob, is believed to have originated in the northwest Brittany region of France in the Middle Ages, and occurs in variations, such as Jacq, as both a given name and a surname.
Robert Jacques, a knight crusader in 1248, was the first documented use of the surname.[5] Returning from the Crusades in the Holy Lands, he may have adopted the surname from Saint Jacques, in reference to James the Greater,[6][full citation needed] one of Jesus's Twelve Apostles, and believed to be the first martyred apostle. Being endowed with this surname was an honor at the time and it is likely that the Church allowed it because of acts during the Crusades. Indeed, at this time, biblical, Christian, or Hebrew names became very popular, and more broadly entered the European lexicon.[6][full citation needed]
Since then, several notables who have borne this surname include: Guillaume, secretary of the Duke[clarification needed] and auditor of the account[clarification needed] in 1413; Thomas, the Archdeacon of Penthievre, the Prior of Pirmil, the Bishop of Leon in 1478, transferred to Dol in 1482, the ambassador of the duke[clarification needed] to the Pope in 1486, who died in 1503, and is interred in his cathedral; Jean, the Canon of Dol and Prior of Lehon; François, Lord of the Ville-Carré, and the Provost Marshal in 1577; Captain of Ploërmel, who prospered in Rennes in 1621; Bernard, a Rennes counsellor in 1653.[4][full citation needed] Several European kings also adopted the name.[7][full citation needed]
The use of surnames was not widespread in most of Europe until the mid-to-late 16th century, and prior usage was largely restricted to the noble class.[citation needed] There are over one hundred noble families related to the surname identified by The Nobility & Gentry of Great Britain & Ireland.[8]
Spread of surname to the Britain, with Jack and other variants
The use of surnames reached England during the conquest by an army of Norman, Breton, Flemish, and French soldiers under William the Conqueror. The names became anglicised following the conquest. Over the centuries the spelling of the Jack surname has changed and developed as the French language became increasingly associated with high culture and status.[9] Forms of the name appear in the records spelled as Jacques, Jaques, Jack, Jacks, Jackes, Jakes, Jeeks, Jeke, Jeex, Jaquiss, Jaquez, and Jaquis, with further derivates like Jackson; spelling variations sometimes occur even in documents referring to the same person. There are several explanations for this situation. Latin, as a language used by the educated, and the language of the Anglo-Saxons both had a profound impact on the spelling and pronunciation of Norman names in Britain. On the other hand, the Norman language affected the development of English. As the English language developed from its Germanic roots into Middle English (which was influenced by Norman French) we find a period during which spelling was not standardised but roughly followed phonetic pronunciation. During this time names were spelled a variety of ways depending upon local dialects. Thus the surname, as well as the Anglo-Saxon names, were recorded in many different ways.[10][unreliable source]
Norman surnames like Jack are sometimes mistakenly considered French, though Normans (a term derived from Northmen), were of partial Viking origin. In 911, Vikings settled in their namesake region, Normandy, in current day France, where their language merged with that of locals. Throughout this period, England also endured Viking invasions, but the Anglo-Saxons successfully repelled them until 994. When the Danes ruled England, the Saxon royal family lived in Normandy and intermarried with the Duke of Normandy's family. William II, Duke of Normandy, could then claim the English throne when his cousin, Edward the Confessor, the restored Saxon king, died without an heir.
At the Battle of Hastings, William's army defeated their rival, King Harold Godwin, who was killed in the engagement. William could then claim the throne as Harold was elected and not a true member of the royal family. Despite the success of the foreign conquest, English nobles were permitted to retain their land unless they rebelled. Any resisting English elite had their lands confiscated, and some of them fled into exile as a result. William granted lands to his followers and built commanding military strongpoint castles for defence of his realm.[11][full citation needed] By 1086, more than 92% of English nobles were replaced by William's followers.[12] One of these followers is believed to be an ancestor of the surname, Jack.
Early notables
Historians have studied documents such as the Domesday Book, compiled by William I of England, in search of the first record of the Jack surname, and found it to be of Norman origin, first appearing in Yorkshire where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor of Nether Silton in the North Riding of the region. At the time of the Doomsday Book in 1086, Nether Silton was recorded as a village with a hall and the tenant-in-chief was the Count of Mortain.[10][unreliable source]
The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of William Jagge (1216–1272) from Cambridgeshire and known as "The Frenchman"; he appears, dated 1251, in the Chartulary of Ramsey Abbey during the reign of King Henry III, and also is recorded as a witness in the Assize Court Rolls of Cambridgeshire in 1260.[10][unreliable source]
Katherine Jeke of Wikington in Stafford married Robert Farnham, Lord of Querndon, in 1440. The family later acquired estates at Easby Abbey and Elvington. Of this latter branch, Sir Roger Jaques was Lord Mayor of York in 1639, and knighted by King Charles I. Sir John Jacques was also knighted by King Charles I in 1628. The family branched into Middlesex. Mary, daughter of Thomas Jacques of Leeds, married Robert Gosforth of Northumberland in 1818. The present seat of the family is at Easby Abbey.[10][unreliable source]
Before the usage of surnames became common, differentiating between generations also led to 'son of Jack, Jack's son' becoming Jackson, most notably with US President Andrew Jackson of South Carolina. That Jackson family had immigrated from Ireland during the colonial period. Jackson led American forces at the Battle of New Orleans in the War of 1812. Due to favorable weather conditions, and his overall leadership, Britain suffered one of her worst defeats in their overseas colonial history. His fame as a general helped him to become the seventh US president later in his life.[13]
People with the surname Jacques
Bob Jacques, rugby league footballer who played in the 1900s
Brian Jacques (1939–2011), British author and radio host, known primarily for the Redwall series
Victor Jacques British brigadier of the Second World War
As given name
Jacques is the French equivalent of James, both ultimately deriving from the name Jacob. Jacques is from Iacobus, while James is from Iacomus, a variant of Iacobus.[14]
As a first name, Jacques is often semi-phonetically converted in English to Jacob, Jake (from Jacob), or Jack. Jack, from Jankin, is usually a diminutive of John but can also be used as a short form for many names derived from Jacob like Jacques.
In French, Jacky is commonly used as a nickname for Jacques. In Dutch, Jack is a pet form of Jacob or Jacobus along with the other nicknames Sjaak, Sjaakie, and Jaak. In Swedish, it is Jacke for Jacob or Jakob, and in German it is Jackel or Jockel for Jakob.[15]
In French, Jacques is a frequent component of compound given names, especially the common Jean-Jacques.
Jacques le Gris (1330-1386) Squire/Knight who was killed in a judicial duel in France after he was accused of assaulting the wife of his former friend, Jean de Carrouges.
Jacques Loeb (1859–1924), German-born American physiologist and biologist
↑Morris, William and Mary (eds); entry for "James", American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1975).
↑Morris, William and Mary (eds); entry for "Jack", American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1975).
Name list
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