An English surname, Jarvis comes from the Old German terms ’geri’ and vaulx’ which refer to a spear in a valley. The spelling variations for Jarvis include Jervis, Gervais, Jervoise, Gervex, Jarvie, Gervays, Hervas and Gervis. In England the early Jarvis families resided in the southwestern area of Cornwall. From there over the years they moved into Devon, Essex, Kent, Norfolk, Yorkshire, Lancashire, Warwickshire and Staffordshire. In Scotland the Jarvis family name is across the central and southern regions. Those counties with the greatest Jarvis populations include Midlothian, Fife, Angus, Lanarkshire and Aberdeenshire. Within the United States Jarvis families first settled in Massachusetts, Virginia, Maine, Pennsylvania, New York, North Carolina, Kentucky and Ohio. Famous: Gregory B. Jarvis (one of the crew members on the Space Shuttle Challenger that exploded in 1986), Anna Marie Jarvis (founder of the U. S. Mother’s Day celebration), John Hugo Jarvis (writer from New Zealand), Pat Jarvis (professional baseball player), Chris Jarvis (English actor), Jeff Jarvis (journalist), Nathaniel Jarvis (footballer from Wales), Robin Jarvis (novelist) and Oliver Jarvis (race car driver from England).