This long-established surname derives from "Ad(e)", a pet form of the Hebrew given name Adam, meaning "red-earth" (possibly referring to the earth from which God formed the first man in the Old Testament), plus the Olde English pre 7th Century diminutive suffix "-kin". The "d" of "Ad(e)" was sharpened to "t" in certain areas as a result of dialectal influences, and the final "s" indicated the genitive, being a reduced form of "son of". One Adekin filius Turst was noted in the 1191 Pipe Rolls of Norfolk, and a John Adekyn appears in Records of the Estates of Crowland Abbey, Cambridgeshire, dated 1296.
The patronymic development since 1327 (below) has included: John Adekynes (Warwickshire, 1332); Willelmus Adkynson (the Poll Tax Returns of Howdenshire, 1379); and Johannes Attekyson (Yorkshire, 1379). In the modern idiom the patronymic forms of the name range from Adkins, Atkins and Attkins, to Adkinson, Atkinson and Adkisson. On October 4th 1657, George, son of George and Susanna Adkins, was christened at St. Bride's, Fleet Street, London. Robert Adkins, noted in the "Dictionary of National Biography", was chaplain to Cromwell. A Coat of Arms granted to the Adkins family is an ermine shield with two azure lions rampant in chief, the Crest being a red lion rampant supporting a flagstaff and ropes proper, thereon a silver flag charged with a red cross. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of William Atkyns, which was dated 1327, in the "Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire", during the reign of King Edward 11, known as "Edward of Caernafon", 1307 - 1327. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.
Research into the possible origins of adkin leads us to learn more about those who bear this surname. The origin, the coat of arms or the different heraldic shields, and the bibliography in which the surname adkin is mentioned are part of this exciting investigation.
There is a considerable probability that adkin has crossed the borders of its place of origin to establish itself, to a greater or lesser extent, in other parts of the world. With all the information we have today, it can be said that the countries where adkin is most abundant are the following. The list of countries with a higher presence of people with the surname adkin provides us with a perspective on the history of the surname, beyond its origins, focusing on its migrations.
The deeds, the way of life, the places they lived, the family relationships they had, the jobs they held by those who were the first to be named adkin are found in every look back in the history of this lineage. For those like you, who are interested in the history hidden behind the surname adkin, it is essential to find all kinds of information, both direct and tangential, that helps to construct a solid narrative of how the birth and expansion of adkin developed.
It is common for genealogy and surname enthusiasts to provide us with information of special value, so the data we offer about the origins of adkin could be modified. We keep our website updated through our own research and also thanks to contributions from people like you, after verification; so if you have information about adkin and send it to us, we will update it on this website.
We assume that there have been significant contributions to humanity made by individuals with the surname adkin, even though not all have been documented to our present day. Sadly, not all the contributions of those who bore the surname adkin were recorded by the chroniclers of the time.
The bibliography collects information related to the surname adkin, which allows us to learn more about its meaning. The origin, history, coat of arms or different coats of arms, and the heraldry of adkin are recorded in a wide variety of sources and documents that are essential to know for better compilation.
These sources are essential for initiating the understanding of adkin, and at the same time, of surnames in general.