The fact that Wales is home to hundreds if not thousands of people with the surname Jones, Williams, Evans, and Thomas is commonly joked about, but why is this? Why are there so few surnames in Wales and how did the few that do exist come into being?
There are few surnames in Wales because, prior to 1542, Wales had a patronymic naming system where children took their father’s first name as their surname. When Henry VIII declared that the Welsh must have traditional surnames, anyone whose father was called John (a common name at the time) became a Jones which explains why there are now so many Jones’ in Wales.
Keep reading for a full breakdown of the old naming system in Wales, why it changed, and the origins of other popular surnames in Wales.
The Old Naming System in Wales
The reason there are so few surnames in Wales is tied to the way that the modern use of surnames evolved in Wales. To understand this, we first need to look at the old way surnames worked in Wales.
Before Wales came under English rule, Welsh surnames were not really surnames as we would understand them. Rather, the names that would follow first names were used as evidence for a genealogical or family history.
Up until 1542, Wales had a patronymic naming system which means that children would take the names of their male ancestors as their ‘surnames.’ They would begin with their father’s name and then add as many generations as they knew.
For boys, the list of names was joined together by ‘ap’, a contraction of the Welsh word ‘mab’, which means son. Thus, names like ‘Rees ap Morgan ap Evan ap Caradoc ap Bleddin ap Griffith’ were not uncommon.
Women, when taking their father’s name, used the prefix ‘ferch’ which means daughter of. For example, ‘Angharad ferch Morgan ap Evan ap Caradoc‘.
Later on, I’ll explain why Wales used this system, but for now, let’s jump forward to understand how the system changed and how this resulted in so many Jonse’ and Williams’ today.
The Adoption of Fixed Surnames in Wales
In 1542, Henry VIII united England and Wales through an act of Parliament. Despite being half Welsh himself, Henry did not allow Wales much power and only strengthen England’s control over the country. With this, surnames changed in Wales changed too.
Through this act, Wales came under the laws and customs of England. This meant that, in order to be able to effectively interact with any of the legal frameworks in place, Welsh people had to adopt English-style, fixed surnames.
Clerks of the courts and parsons of the parishes in Wales began to make it impossible to operate in Wales without a fixed surname.
In order to create their first fixed surnames, the Welsh converted their patronymic surnames into English-style surnames.
For example, people with a father named Evan would have previously been called ‘ap Evan’, but they converted this to ‘Evans’. Those with a father named John became Jones, Griffith became Griffiths, and William became Williams.
In some cases, the prefix ‘ap’ blended with the father’s name to create a fixed surname. For example, ‘ap Rhys’ merged to become ‘Price,’ or ‘ab Owen’ became ‘Bowen’1 (source: L.G.Pine The Story of Surnames, 1969).
Why Are There So Many Joneses in Wales?
So now that we know that the first Welsh people with the traditional surname Jones, probably had a father named John.
Back in the middle ages when the change in surname took place, John was an extremely popular first name. It was during this time that Pagan and Celtic names began to be frowned upon and Catholic names were considered the respectable option.
Of course, the names that were favoured were those that had obvious ties to the Catholic faith. For example, John, Thomas, David, or those which could be tied to great kings like Edward, Henry, or Richard. Thus, there were lots of Johns not just in Wales, at this time, but across Europe as a whole2 (source: T. J. Morgan, Welsh Surnames, 1985).
It is difficult to discern exactly how many Joneses there are in Wales today, however, it remains the most popular name in the country. According to Forebears, there are about 170,633 people in Wales with the surnames Jones3 (source: Forebears).
Why Did Wales Use the Patronymic Naming System?
A name like ‘Rees ap Morgan ap Evan ap Caradoc ap Bleddin ap Griffith’ might sound ridiculous to us nowadays, but there was a reason why Wales had adopted a patronymic naming system.
In reciting these kinds of names, Welsh people could make evident their ancestry and generational power. Being able to repeat their lineage so far back implied a link to a noble, well-established bloodline. Those who could only recite their father’s name could not make such a claim.
Furthermore, being able to prove a substantial lineage was vital in early Welsh law. According to the laws of Hywel Dda (reigned roughly 942-950), individual Welsh people did not own their land, but rather, it was owned by the family.
This practice is known as ‘gavelkind’ or ‘cyfran’ to the Welsh, and whilst it was also popular in medieval Kent, it never filtered into the rest of England. This ancient Celtic custom or law stated that rather than having one sole inheritor to a deceased person’s estates, their belongings were instead divided equally among any offspring.
Because lands and titles were so frequently divided up among several siblings, people in Wales had to ensure that they could prove the legitimacy of their claim to their part of the inheritance. By listing the names of their male ancestors they could do so4 (source: L.G.Pine The Story of Surnames, 1969).
Related Questions
What percentage of people in Wales are called Jones?
Approximately 5.6% of people have the surname Jones, making it the most common surname in Wales.
What is the most common Welsh name?
The most common Welsh surname is Jones.
Is Jones a Celtic name?
Jones is not a Celtic name, it comes from the first name John which in most cases was probably Christian.
