Surname Jobs - Meaning and Origin
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Jobs: What does the surname Jobs mean?
The last name Jobs is believed to be an occupational surname derived from a Middle High German word, jobs, meaning "a craftsman working in iron or metal," typically a blacksmith or armorer. This name is also found as Jaups, Jaupz or Jops. It is of German origin and is found in central and eastern Germany and was often used to indicate an individual's occupation.
The name Jobs is quite rare in the United States, though it is found in some immigrant communities in the Midwest and on the East Coast. Early records of immigration of people with this name can be traced to Prussia, Germany during the 1800s and mid-1900s.
The Jobs surname could have later been Anglicized from other versions of the German word. Its main usage could be traced to immigrants who brought their surname with them and settled primarily in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Ohio and Indiana.
The surname Jobs is also believed to have originally been the name of a location or area in Germany. This could explain why its usage was confined to a select few states in the U.S.
Today the name Jobs is most famously associated with the entrepreneur Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple Inc. The technology industry, which Steve helped revolutionize, is an appropriate representation of the surname’s original meaning, “craftsman.”
Order DNA origin analysisJobs: Where does the name Jobs come from?
The last name Jobs is most commonly associated with the tech entrepreneur Steve Jobs and is relatively uncommon around the world. According to the US Census Bureau, the surname is estimated to be shared by about 4,000 people in America, with the vast majority residing in the states of Washington, California, Arizona, Nevada, and New York.
It doesn't appear to be particularly concentrated in any specific region, although there is a smaller concentration in California, likely due to Steve Jobs’ domination of the tech industry with Apple. This means that if you're looking for someone with the last name Jobs, your odds of finding them might be higher in some of these states.
In other parts of the world, it's much less common. The UK has the largest concentration outside of the U.S., at just over 200 individuals. Germany has a smaller concentration of roughly one hundred individuals. In Asia, the concentration is slightly less, with China having the most with just over 200 individuals.
Overall, the last name Jobs is a relatively rare one. While scattered individuals can be found throughout the United States and a few other countries, it is not especially common in any part of the world. It would seem as though its namesake, Steve Jobs, was something of an anomaly when it came to this particular last name.
Variations of the surname Jobs
The surname Jobs has various spellings, variants, and surnames that are of the same origin. It is known as Gobess, Goebbels, Goepell, Goeppel, Goepling, Goepfert, Goepfrich, Goering, Goertz, Goerz, Goetz, Goff, Goffe, Goleman, and Gobern. The surname Jobs is of German origin, derived from the German word “gebe” or “job” which means “man”.
Historially, the spellings of the surname Jobs differed depending on where one resides and the language spoken. In North America, many German immigrants from the late 1800s and early 1900s used the spelling “Jobs”. In some areas, it was transliterated as “Goepfert” or “Goeprich”. Some variants that had emerged were “Goeppel”, “Goepling”, and “Goebbels”.
The surname Gobess is another variant of the Jobs surname, it is believed to have originated in the Rhineland-Palatinate region of Germany and is still used widely today. The surname Goebbels is a common spelling used be descendants from the Moselle region of Germany, and is also used today by people of this region.
Presently, the surname Jobs is still widely used by the descendants of immigrants who arrived in America in the 1800’s and early 1900’s. It is also still commonly used in Europe, in countries such as Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg, and France.
The various spellings, variants, and surnames related to Jobs are valuable pieces of history that provide information regarding the origin and evolution of a German surname. Furthermore, they demonstrate the unique ways people adapt and modify surnames as they move, change, and develop over time.
Famous people with the name Jobs
- Steve Jobs (1955–2011): American entrepreneur, computer engineer, industrial designer, and the co-founder and CEO of Apple Inc.
- Laurene Powell Jobs (1963-present): a philanthropist, activist and entrepreneur. She is best known as the widow of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs and the founder of Emerson Collective, an education and immigration reform organization.
- Mona Simpson (1957-present): an American novelist, essayist and short story writer and the biological sister of Steve Jobs.
- Reed Jobs (1991-present): an American entrepreneur, investor and philanthropist who is the eldest child of Steve and Laurene Jobs.
- Erin Jobs (1995-present): an American businesswoman, investor and philanthropist and the third child of Steve and Laurene Jobs.
- Eve Jobs (1998-present): an American businesswoman, investor and philanthropist and the youngest child of Steve and Laurene Jobs.