Jones by name

For A Change, April-May, 2005 by Paul Williams

When the South African rugby team took the field against Wales at the end of last year, they must have been bemused to learn that no less than six of the opposition were called Jones. It was highly confusing for the commentators as well.

There is a historical reason for the plethora of Joneses in Wales. Traditionally the Welsh had no surnames but used the formula 'David the son of William' (in Welsh Dafydd ap Gwilym). After the Union with England in 1536, surnames soon became mandatory. So Dafydd ap Gwilym became David Williams. In the same way Rhys ap loan (Rhys the son of John) became Rhys Johns. Over time, Johns became Jones. Because John had been such a popular first name, Jones became the most widely used surname--closely followed by Williams, Hughes, Roberts and so forth.

PAUL WILLIAMS IN WALES