Jerrygibbsite was originally discovered by Pete J. Dunn in 1984, who named it after mineralogist Gerald V. Gibbs (born 1929).

It has only been reported from the type locality of Franklin Furnace, New Jersey, United States, and in Namibia's Otjozondjupa region.

The mineral jerrygibbsite was discovered in 1984 by Pete Dunn while conducting an X-ray spectrographic analysis of a sample previously assumed to be leucophoenicite.

The formula for jerrygibbsite is ((Mn,Zn)9(SiO4)4(OH)2, although it often contains impurities of iron, magnesium, calcium or water.

The crystal structure described by Kato is the equivalent of a unit-cell-twinned sonolite in which the cells are related by a b/4 glide plane.