ELKINS
Elkins is an English surname of patronymic origin, signifying the descendants of an individual named Elkin. The name Elkin is a medieval diminutive form of the given name Elk, which was at one time used as a nickname for someone regarded as strong or powerful, drawing on the image of the large elk as a symbol of strength and majesty.
Alternative derivations of the surname trace it back to the diminutive of the medieval given name Elis, a form of the Greek name Elias, itself derived from the Hebrew Eliyah meaning “Jehovah is God.” The adoption of the name by various early saints in the Christian tradition contributed to its popularity in England during the Middle Ages, and some records link it also to the diminutive of Ella, itself a vernacular form of Ellen, a name associated with the mother of Constantine the Great and credited in legend with finding the True Cross.
The earliest recorded instance of the family name appears in 1310 in the “Feet of Fines” of Essex, where a witness named John Elkyn is mentioned. The document dates to the reign of King Edward the Eleventh, a period spanning 1307 to 1327. Subsequent church records between the mid‑16th and early 17th centuries refer to individuals such as Dorethye, daughter of Thomas Elkins, who was christened on 30 April 1563 at St. Michael’s, Bedwardine, Worcestershire, and Elizabeth, daughter of John Elkins, who was christened on 13 February 1582 at St. Andrew’s, Undershaft, London.
Over the centuries the surname has dispersed beyond its English origins and is now found across various English‑speaking countries, reflecting the broader movements of people from the British Isles.
Typical given names associated with the Elkins surname
Male
- Anthony
- Christopher
- David
- John
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Richard
- Robert
- Stephen
Female
- Deborah
- Elizabeth
- Jane
- Janet
- Karen
- Lisa
- Margaret
- Michelle
- Nicola
- Patricia
- 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 Elkins in...
Braille
⠑⠇⠅⠊⠝⠎
Morse
..-..-.-..-....
Semaphore
There are approximately 2,324 people named Elkins in the UK. That makes it roughly the 3,712th most common surname in Britain. Around 36 in a million people in Britain are named Elkins.
Surname type: From name of parent
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
