BINNS
Binns is a surname of English origin, deriving from the Old English word binn, which denoted a manger, crib or bowl. The name is understood to have been occupational, applied to an individual who crafted or used such containers, or to a cooper or carpenter associated with the making of bins and troughs.
The surname also possesses a topographic element. In the West Lothian region of Scotland and in Yorkshire, the pre‑7th century word binn was applied in a transferred sense to describe a hollow or low place. Consequently, a person dwelling in or near such a hollow might have been designated by this term.
Documentation of the name can be traced back to the mid‑13th and late‑14th centuries. The earliest recorded instance occurs in the Hundred Rolls of Lincolnshire, where a Robert Binns appears in 1273 during the reign of King Edward I. In Yorkshire, the 1379 Poll Tax Returns list an individual named Johannes de Bynnes, alongside other variants such as Bynne and Byn. It was common in medieval England to append an s to monosyllabic locational names, which accounts for the form Binns emerging from earlier spellings.
Beyond its occupational and locational origins, the surname occasionally functioned in a metonymic sense, referring specifically to a maker of mangers or troughs. The medieval usage of the name, therefore, reflects both the trade practices of the period and the geographical features of the local landscape.
A distinguished bearer of the surname was Sir Henry Binns (1837–1899). In 1897 he served as Prime Minister of Natal, during which time he was instrumental in securing Natal’s entrance into the South African customs union and the conferment of the title K.C.M.G. in 1898.
Typical given names associated with the Binns surname
Male
- Andrew
- Anthony
- Christopher
- David
- James
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Paul
- Richard
- Stephen
Female
- Alison
- Barbara
- Catherine
- Elizabeth
- Emma
- Helen
- Janet
- Jean
- Karen
- Margaret
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Binns in...
Braille
⠃⠊⠝⠝⠎
Morse
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There are approximately 5,891 people named Binns in the UK. That makes it roughly the 1,612th most common surname in Britain. Around 90 in a million people in Britain are named Binns.
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Binns
- Sir Thomas Dalyell of the Binns - Scottish politician (1932 to 2017)
- Vicky Binns - Actress
- Malcolm Binns - Pianist
- Eric Binns - Football player (1924 to 2007)
- Joseph Binns - Labour Party politician (1900 to 1975)
- Henry Binns - Prime Minister of the Colony of Natal (1837 to 1899)
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.