Wilkins Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Wilkins last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
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Meaning and origin of the Wilkins last name
Meaning of the Wilkins last name: son of Wilkin, little William. Wilkins means "son of Wilkin", a medieval pet form of William with the friendly ending -kin, "little". William was the favourite name of the Normans and spread quickly after 1066. Wilkins is especially common in south Wales, the English border counties and the West Country. A curious detail: Maurice Wilkins shared the Nobel Prize for discovering the structure of DNA.
Arms associated with the Wilkins name
In England, gold stood for generosity and silver for peace, and arms used by Wilkins families speak that old language of colour.
Get your full Wilkins family history
This is only a glimpse of the Wilkins story. The full Wilkins history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted Wilkins coat of arms. Get the full Wilkins report.
Wilkins name FAQ
What does the Wilkins name mean?
Son of Wilkin, little William. Common variants include Wilkin, Wilkinson, Wilcox.
Where does the Wilkins surname come from?
It originates in Wales, and is also found in England, the United States and Australia.
Is there a Wilkins coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Wilkins coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Researched by Herald Lab Research Studio, since 1993. Sources: Reaney & Wilson, Dictionary of English Surnames; Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford); US Census Bureau 2010.