Keeping up with the Joneses
The family name Jones means ‘son of John’ and it is especially common in Wales (13.5% of the population) because of the Welsh habit of naming themselves after their father. Indeed this week a new world record was established for a gathering of the most people with the same surname when 1,224 people called Jones gathered at the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff.
If – like me – you’re interested in the different use of names, you might like to check out my web essay on naming practices around the world.