The Jennings surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 89,700 people carried this name — #347 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 3,290 people counted. That is up 3% from 87,038 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Jennings surname

An English surname originating as a patronymic.

From Jenning + -s.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Jennings» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a baptismal name, from a given name: ‘the son of John’.

An early record he cites: Janyn serviens Johannes warde, 1379 — Poll Tax, West Riding of Yorkshire.

His entry covers Jennings and Jenyns.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 429 · public domain.

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 63 births for the Jennings name in 1890.

They were registered in all four provinces, most of all in Connacht. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 2,800 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. 2 of them were indexed under other spellings of the name.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Where they were born, 1890

Connacht 34
Ulster 12
Munster 11
Leinster 6

Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.

In Switzerland’s population statistics

53 people named Jennings live in Switzerland.

They live in 7 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Vaud.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Vaud 14
Geneva 13
Zurich 12
Basel-Landschaft 4
Nidwalden 4
Neuchâtel 3
St. Gallen 3

Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 39 people named Jennings.

Most of them — 33 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 3 départements, most often French Polynesia.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born

Born outside France 33
French Polynesia 3
Yvelines 2
Oise 1

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

In Poland’s population register

28 people named Jennings have a registered home in Poland.

Of the 68 in Poland’s national register, these are the ones with a permanent address on file. They live in 8 of Poland’s 16 voivodeships, most of all in Lower Silesian.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Lower Silesian 11
Kuyavian-Pomeranian 4
Lesser Poland 3
Łódź 2
Subcarpathian 2
Pomeranian 2
Greater Poland 2
West Pomeranian 2

PESEL register, Ministry of Digital Affairs of Poland (dane.gov.pl) — CC0 · living people by voivodeship of permanent residence, 20 January 2026.

In the Nordic population registers

57 people named Jennings is counted in Sweden.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 57

Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown).

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Jennings was found among the farmers of 7 counties.

It was most frequent in Hertfordshire: 20 in every 10,000 farmers there — about 1 in 500. Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Hertfordshire 20
Surrey 20
Warwickshire 18
Cambridgeshire 15
Somerset 14
Cheshire 11
Suffolk 9

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In Scotland’s registers today

Jennings was recorded 25 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 962nd most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 29. Each birth counts the child’s surname, each marriage both partners’ and each death the surname of the person who died — a yearly count of registrations, not of the people who live in Scotland.

National Records of Scotland, «Most Common Surnames, 2025» (published 26 May 2026): every surname recorded 10 or more times in the 2025 registers, and the series from 1975 · different spellings are counted separately — © Crown copyright 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

274 families named Jennings, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 1,515 people lived in those households, 5.5 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 13 other spellings. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Connecticut 67
New York 39
Virginia 38
Massachusetts 31
North Carolina 30
South Carolina 25
Pennsylvania 21
New Hampshire 6
Vermont 5
Rhode Island 5
Maryland 5
Maine 2

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 247 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Jennings in American newspapers,
1901–1913.

Newspaper page from The Rice Belt Journal carrying the name Jennings
The Rice Belt Journal 1913-10-31
Newspaper page from The Rice Belt Journal carrying the name Jennings
The Rice Belt Journal 1912-09-20
Newspaper page from The Jennings Daily Record carrying the name Jennings
The Jennings Daily Record 1901-11-07

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain.

In print

Jennings in Australian newspapers,
1800s–2000s.

112,440 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Jennings. The most, 19,255, date from the 1930s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in Victoria, at 1.4 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 41,688
Victoria 33,065
Queensland 13,601
South Australia 11,175
Western Australia 6,443
Tasmania 5,627
ACT (Canberra) 606
Northern Territory 98

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Jennings.

Who carried it

People named Jennings,
with a public archive behind them.

  • John Jennings d. 1642 · politician
  • Robert Jennings d. 1851 · bookseller
  • John Jennings d. 1883 · Anglican priest
  • William Jennings d. 1565 · Anglican priest
  • Ross Jennings d. 1822
  • Joyce Jennings d. 1990

Wikidata (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Jennings,
in the records of 9 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States8,974 records

8,974 records of the Jennings name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 3,014
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 1,964
  • Other U.S. records 3,996
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Donald Melvin Jennings

    Born 1949; from Baltimore, Maryland. U.S. Army, infantryman; killed in action 1969 in Dinh Tuong, South Vietnam. Buried at Baltimore National Cemetery, Maryland.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Elijah L. Jennings

    Born 1931; from St Louis City, Missouri. U.S. Army, light weapons infantryman; killed in action 1951 in North Korea. Buried at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, Missouri.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Grant J. Jennings

    Born 1909 in Connecticut. Enlisted 1942 at Hartford; mail carrier from Litchfield County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1998, buried at Old St Francis, Torrington, Connecticut.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)

Showing 3 of 8,974 records for Jennings in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain).

Australia3,125 records

3,125 records of the Jennings name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 1,509
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 678
  • Other Australian records 938
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record George Jennings

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Lord Auckland, sailing from Ireland in 1852. Native of Westmeath. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1855. Married 1855 in Launceston, Tasmania, aged 22.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Hannah Jennings

    Died 1845 in Brighton, Tasmania, aged 77. Will registered in Tasmania in 1846.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Henry Jennings

    Died 1886 in Longford, Tasmania, aged 67. Will registered in Tasmania in 1886.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 3,125 records for Jennings in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · City of Ballarat, Avenue of Honour Plaques (CC BY 3.0 AU). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

Canada708 records

708 records of the Jennings name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 567
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 38
  • Other Canadian records 103
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Jesse Jennings

    Came to Ontario in 1874 aboard the Ontario, landing at Quebec, bound for Brockville, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Civil record Stanley Jennings

    Killed in 1917 at the Allan Mine, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Elizabeth Margaret Jennings

    Buried in 1972 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 65.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.

Showing 3 of 708 records for Jennings in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0).

United Kingdom149 records

149 records of the Jennings name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 97
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 45
  • Other British records 7
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record William Jennings

    Buried in 1824 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 47.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Louisa Elizabeth Jennings

    Will proved in 1924; of Gyffin, Carnarvon.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record Frederick Sinclair Wills Jennings

    Born 1882. Died 1916. Named in the University of Edinburgh roll of honour, 1914-1919.

    National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain)

Showing 3 of 149 records for Jennings in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0) · National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

New Zealand104 records

104 records of the Jennings name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 84
  • Thames-Coromandel District cemetery records 15
  • Other New Zealand records 5
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record George Jennings

    Died 1925, aged 85; buried at Sydenham Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Robert Jennings

    Buried in 1917 at Shortland Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 79.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record John Henry Jennings

    Died 1982, aged 73; buried at Fairhall Cemetery, Marlborough.

    Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 104 records for Jennings in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Ireland26 records

26 records of the Jennings name in Ireland County Galway graveyard records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Thomas Jennings

    Died 1973, aged 75; buried at Dunmore, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Mary Jennings

    Died 1994, aged 73; buried at Clontuskert, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 2 of 26 records for Jennings in Ireland.

Counts: Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Netherlands21 records

21 records of the Jennings name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch population registers 11
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 8
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 2
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Maria Angelica Francisca Jennings

    Married in 1904 in Dordrecht. Died 1933 in Rotterdam, aged 47.

    Open Archives, Regionaal Archief Rivierenland (CC BY 4.0); Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Herman Albert Jennings

    Married in 1946 in Apeldoorn; engine driver.

    Open Archives, Gelders Archief (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 2 of 21 records for Jennings in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

France8 records

8 records of the Jennings name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Emily May Jennings

    Born 1904 in Great Britain; died 1996 in Longjumeau (Essonne).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Isaac Barry Jennings

    Born 1934 in the United Kingdom; died 1991 in Sarrazac (Dordogne).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 2 of 8 records for Jennings in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Germany1 record

1 record of the Jennings name in Germany Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Ernst Jennings

    From Lübsee, Güstrow. Reported dead in the Prussian casualty list of 17 July 1916 (Infantry Regiment No. 79).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Jennings.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Jennings is.
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