Most Jamaicans initially did not have last names, just first names. Those who were later baptized were allowed to choose their own names. Some chose random names, some were forced to use the name of the estate they worked on, while some chose names of people they just liked.
Contents
What is a Jamaican surname?
Most Common Last Names In Jamaica
| Rank | Surname | Incidence |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brown | 69,387 |
| 2 | Williams | 62,754 |
| 3 | Smith | 46,785 |
| 4 | Campbell | 41,322 |
How did Jamaicans get their surnames?
Merchants, sailors, clergy and people in other professions immigrated to the island. Some were sent to the island as indentured servants. Others were prisoners who were sentenced to transportation to the island. The British surnames of all these people represent the bulk of the surnames found in Jamaica.
Why do Jamaicans have Irish last names?
Irish and Scottish last names are also common throughout after Oliver Cromwell sent convicts and indentured servants there during the 1600s. Indian and Chinese last names have also established themselves in Jamaica through the years.
Why do Jamaicans have American last names?
Family names in Jamaica are linked to a crossword puzzle of English, European, Indian, Chinese, and Middle Eastern origins. African to a lesser extent, as our slave ancestors were given English names by their owners after purchase, or simply inherited the names of the plantations on which they slaved.
Is Brown a Jamaican name?
Some other Jamaican names include Brown, Williams, and Jones. These English surnames coupled with the law that allows individuals to change their names makes it hard for some people to trace their genealogical roots.
What are black last names?
| name | rank | Black percent |
|---|---|---|
| name SMITH | rank 1 | Black percent 23.11% |
| name JOHNSON | rank 2 | Black percent 34.63% |
| name WILLIAMS | rank 3 | Black percent 47.68% |
| name BROWN | rank 4 | Black percent 35.60% |
Why do Jamaicans have Scottish names?
The frequency of Scottish surnames is such that 60% of names in the Jamaican telephone directory are Scottish in origin.In 1656, a group of Scottish prisoners of war disembarked from a ship called The Two Sisters and began a new life as indentured servants on sugar plantations in Jamaica.
What are Jamaican names?
Go through this list of the best 40 Jamaican names for baby boys:
- Adio. This name originates from Yoruba and means “be righteous”.
- Aaron. Aaron is a Hebrew name that means ‘the exalted one.
- Abisai. It is a Jamaican name for boys that means “my father is a gift”.
- Ace.
- Ajani.
- Aduke.
- Arley.
- Akiel.
Is the Jamaican accent Irish?
25% of Jamaica’s claim Irish ancestors. Irish people are the second-largest reported ethnic group in Jamaica after Jamaicans of African ancestry. The Jamaica accent share elements of the Irish accent.The Irish guttural accent is still evident today.
Where do Jamaicans get their accent from?
It is spoken by the majority of Jamaicans as a native language. Patois developed in the 17th century when slaves from West and Central Africa were exposed to, learned, and nativized the vernacular and dialectal forms of English spoken by the slaveholders: British English, Scots, and Hiberno-English.
What is the most common black last name?
The 2000 U.S. Census counted 163,036 people with the surname Washington. Ninety percent of them were African-American, a far higher black percentage than for any other common name.
Where does the name Banton come from?
English: habitational name of uncertain origin. There is a place so called in Strathclyde region and a Banton House in Lancashire; the present-day concentration of the surname in the Derbyshire area suggests the latter may be the more likely source.
Why do so many Jamaicans have Scottish last names?
The frequency of other Scottish surnames is largely a consequence of the fact that during the period of slavery in the island, a large number of slave owners and overseers were from Scotland, particularly from the Lowlands.
When did Irish arrive in Jamaica?
1600S
ARRIVAL 1600S
The Irish arrived in Jamaica over 350 years ago in the mid-1600s at the time of British Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell’s capture of Jamaica.
Why do Jamaicans have different names?
It is a common Jamaican tradition for children to have double middle names. The middle names that are chosen are the most personal since the parents choose that name based on family ties, their preferences, and traditions. Another popular tradition that you will find in Jamaica is the use of nicknames.
What should you not say in Jamaica?
Here are some of the things you never want to hear a Jamaican say about you.
- Mi Spirit Nuh Tek To Dem. Mi Spirit Nuh Tek To Dem.
- Yuh a crassis. In Jamaican parlance, crassis means that you are bad luck and they want nothing to do with you.
- Yuh too bad mind.
- Yuh ave no brothupsy.
- Yuh a get bun.
Did Scottish settle in Jamaica?
The First Scots in Jamaica
The Scottish connection with Jamaica dates from 1656 when Oliver Cromwell banished 1200 Scots prisoners-of-war to the recently acquired English colony there. Subsequently the island attracted a growing number of Scottish immigrants who generally arrived as indentured servants.
What is the rarest last name?
The Rarest Last Names
- Acker (old English origin) meaning “field”.
- Agnello (Italian origin) meaning “lamb”.
- Alinsky (Russian origin), a truly unique surname to find.
- Aphelion (Greek origin) meaning “point of the orbit at the greatest distance from the sun”.
- Bartley (English origin) meaning “clearing in woodland”.
What are German last names?
List of the most common surnames in Germany
- Müller, occupation (miller)
- Schmidt, occupation (smith)
- Schneider, occupation (tailor)
- Fischer, occupation (fisherman)
- Weber, occupation (weaver)
- Meyer, occupation (originally a manorial landlord, later a self-employed farmer)
- Wagner, occupation (wainwright)
How do I find out if my ancestors had slaves?
The best place to find information about an enslaved person before 1812 is in the private papers of the slave owner, or in records about the owner or his or her property. Papers might still be with the family or deposited in a local archive or library where the family lived or settled.
