Meaning Of "Jno"?

[ShirleyThompson]

I've seen "Jno" over and over again as a short-form for a name, in census reports, along the lines of Jas=James, Thos=Thomas, etc. Does it stand for Jonathan? I can't come up with anything that fits.

Thanks,
Shirley

[Jenjen]

I think it is just an abbreviation for John or Johannes. I have seen this several times in my family. One suggestion was that the o was just a period, written, as some do, with a circle.
Jen

[JohnN]

In the majority of cases it stands for 'John'.

John (Jno)
.._

[JohnN]

Oops - it came out twice - after telling me there was an error..
Sorry about that!

[Guy Etchells]

If the person who used the abbreviation knew and used the common abbreviation it stood for John.

However more than a few times the person using the abbreviation simply made up an abbreviation for themselves and it could stand for many name in the same way as Jas commonly stands for James but could equally mean Jason.

The best approach is to keep the abbreviated form and only expand it when you obtain other sources to prove what was in the writer's mind.
Cheers
Guy

[ShirleySS]

I have come across a couple of Jno's who did turn out to be Jonathons. Strange one!
ShirleySS

[Peter Goodey]

Jno always means John unless the writer made a mistake.

[DianaCanada]

Jno was the abbreviation for Johannes, Jas for Jacobus, Jos for Josephus - all Latin forms of John, James, Joseph.

[Retlaw]

Its the abreviation of Jonathan, the catholic registers call him Johannes.
Posh name for John.

Retlaw

[ShirleyThompson]

Thank you, everyone, for your replies!

Shirley