HERBERT JONES

From an Old French name of Germanic (Frankish) origin, introduced to Britain by the Normans. It is derived from heri, hari ‘army’ + berht ‘bright, famous’. An Old English form, Herebeorht, existed in England before the Conquest, but was superseded by the Norman form, which gave rise to an important surname. The family in question were earls of Pembroke in the 16th and 17th centuries; they included the poet George Herbert. By the end of the Middle Ages Herbert was little used, although it remained a favourite with some families, notably the Saint Quintins of East Yorkshire. Its greater frequency in Britain from the 19th century onwards is due partly to the trend for the revival of medieval names of Germanic origin and partly to the trend for the transferred use of surnames.

English and Welsh: patronymic from the Middle English personal name Jon(e) (see John). The surname is especially common in Wales and southern central England. In North America this name has absorbed various cognate and like-sounding surnames from other languages. (For forms, see Hanks and Hodges 1988).