The surname is of English and Scottish origin.The name simply signifies the son of Jack.It is derived from the Old French given name Jacques,which is the usual French form of the Latin Jacobus,Jacob.In the Bible this is the name of the younger twin brother of Esau(Gen.25:26),who took advantage of the latters hunger and impetuousness to persaude him to part with his birthright ‘for a mess of potage’.The name is traditionally believed to come from the Hebrew ‘akev’ heel,and Jacob is said to have been born holding on to Esau’s heel.In Scotland and England it is a pet form of John,most likely a borrowing of the Low German pet forms Jankin and Jackin,which are from Jan.The name is one of the twenty-fifth most common names in England and though it has long been found in Scotland,it was not common there because the personal name Jack was never popular.People of Jewish descent have also adopted the name as an anglicization of like sounding Hebrew names.One of the founding fathers who brought this name to America is that of a James Jackson,who came to America aboard the Adventure,he settled in Maryland.The seventh American Pre…
Coat of arms: Gules,a fesse,between three shovellers,tufted…