Jarvis
A surname that comes from the personal name Gervase, later reshaped in English pronunciation and spelling.
The #985 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 8,734 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Jarvis is generally a surname taken from the medieval personal name Gervase, especially the Norman French form Gervais and the Latin name Gervasius. Over time, English speech turned the initial hard G sound toward J, producing spellings such as Jarvis, Jervis, and related forms. The old dictionaries also note that the name was sometimes treated as a descendant of the same baptismal name rather than as a separate surname.
History
The name appears in England in several spellings, with Jervis and Jarvis especially common after medieval French and Latin naming forms were naturalized in English. Bardsley treats Jarvis as a baptismal surname from Gervase, and Lower likewise gives Jarvis as Gervase. The spelling with J ultimately became the dominant English form, while Gervais survives more clearly in French or francophone usage.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Older surname dictionaries explicitly note that Jarvis and Jervis are the same name, just spelled and pronounced differently as English shifted the opening consonant.
From the historical record
“JAR VIE. The same as Jervis or Jarvis. JARVIS. Gervase. A broad pronunciation of JASON. Albeit the baronet family of this name (extinct in 1788) bore in their arms " a golden fleece," I clo not think they ever proved their pedigree from the leader”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom