Jenkin, of Franconian origin, is translated in

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national id ...

as "

Little John Little John is a companion of Robin Hood who serves as his chief lieutenant and second-in-command of the Merry Men. He is one of only a handful of consistently named characters who relate to Robin Hood and one of the two oldest Merry Men, alo ...

" or more literally "John the little".

Forename history

Jen/Jean (pronounced "Jon") being a diminutive of Jehan/Jehannes* (John/Johan*) followed by kin/ken meaning little creating Jenkin or Jenken. *(Referred to as

Johannes Johannes is a Medieval Latin form of the personal name that usually appears as " John" in English language contexts. It is a variant of the Greek and Classical Latin variants (Ιωάννης, '' Ioannes''), itself derived from the Hebrew name '' Y ...

in the Latin and Germanic referring to the

Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts o ...

name

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Seco ...

.) The name "Jenkin" or "Jenken" first use in England is seen as early as 1086 as a diminutive of the English form of John. It was often translated from the Dutch/French as "John the younger" or seen as "John Jenken". The non-diminutive Jehan/Jehannes (pronounced "Jo-han/Jo-han-nes") was also translated into English as John. When Jen/Jean is present, usually given to a younger child, Jehan/Jehannes is listed as "John the elder" but, never translated as "Big John". Confusion can arise when the sire is listed as John, a son is John (the elder) and another son is John (the younger). Today, in English the term John, Senior is used for the father, while the names of John can use Junior or numeric designation (i.e. "II"). " Jon" the phonetic of John is sometimes seen but only in males as is the younger male nickname of "Johnny". The name " Jean" once pronounced "Jon" in English and once a male name has become since the 16th century a

female name A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a ...

in English from the French Jeanne.

Surname history

Jenkin is a surname variant of Jenkins commonly seen in

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peopl ...

, Cornish and in

(mainly

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

) ancestry. Its translation is "

" or more literally "John the little". It first was found in Monmouthshire in the

Domesday Book Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...

of 1086 and some say earlier than 1066 and the

Norman Conquest The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Norman, Breton, Flemish, and French troops, all led by the Duke of Normandy, later styled William the Conq ...

of England. Its common English use, eventually becoming a surname, may have come as a generic and now obsolete nickname as the "Little Johns". This may have been a 12th Century reference to the Welsh and Cornish people because of their relative smaller stature or more likely as a derogatory for the subjects or illegitimate offspring of King

John of England John (24 December 1166 – 19 October 1216) was King of England from 1199 until his death in 1216. He lost the Duchy of Normandy and most of his other French lands to King Philip II of France, resulting in the collapse of the Angevin E ...

, Earl of

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlan ...

and

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east of t ...

(1166–1216). Jenkin or Jenkins and its surname variants should not be confused as a shortened Jenkinson and its variants which refers to the son of "Little John".Jenkinson Surname Origin & Last Name Meaning - http://www.searchforancestors.com/surnames/origin/j/jenkinson.php

People with the surname

Alan Jenkin Alan Jenkin (born 10 December 1962) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the St Kilda Football Club The St Kilda Football Club, nicknamed the Saints, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourn ...

(born 1962), Australian rules footballer * Albert Jenkin (1872–1961), Wales international rugby player * Anne Jenkin (born 1955), British politician *

Bernard Jenkin Sir Bernard Christison Jenkin (born 9 April 1959) is a British Conservative Party politician serving as Member of Parliament (MP) for Harwich and North Essex since 2010. He also serves as chair of the Liaison Committee. He was first elected ...

(born 1959), British politician * Charles Frewen Jenkin (1865–1940), British engineer and academic * Dorothy Jenkin (1892–1995), New Zealand watercolorist, botanical illustrator and printmaker *

Fleeming Jenkin Henry Charles Fleeming Jenkin FRS FRSE LLD (; 25 March 1833 – 12 June 1885) was Regius Professor of Engineering at the University of Edinburgh, remarkable for his versatility. Known to the world as the inventor of the cable car or telpherag ...

(1833–1885), British engineer *

Graham Jenkin Graham Jenkin (born Graham Keith Jenkin, 17 May 1938) is an Australian poet, historian, composer, and educator. Graham Jenkin was born in Adelaide and educated at various country schools and at Prince Alfred College, Wattle Park Teachers Colleg ...

(born 1938), Australian poet, historian, composer, and educator * Guy Jenkin (born 1955), British film director and comedy writer * Horrie Jenkin (1893–1985), Australian rules footballer *

Kenneth Hamilton Jenkin Alfred Kenneth Hamilton Jenkin (29 October 1900 – 20 August 1980) was a British historian with a particular interest in Cornish mining, publishing ''The Cornish Miner'', now a classic, in 1927. Birth and education He was born in Redruth on 2 ...

(1900–1980), British writer on Cornish topics * Mark Jenkin (born 1976), Cornish director, editor, screenwriter, cinematographer and producer *

Martin Jenkin Martin Jenkin (born 1 March 1975) was an English cricketer who was born in Redruth, and was a left-handed batsman who played for Cornwall. Playing career Jenkin made a single List A appearance for the side during the C&G Trophy in August 2002, ...

(born 1975), English cricketer *

Patrick Jenkin Charles Patrick Fleeming Jenkin, Baron Jenkin of Roding, (7 September 1926 – 20 December 2016) was a British Conservative Party politician who served as a cabinet minister in Margaret Thatcher's first government. Life and career Jenkin ...

(1926–2016), British politician *

Richard Jenkin Richard Garfield Jenkin (9 October 1925 – 29 October 2002), was a Cornish nationalist politician and one of the founding members of Mebyon Kernow. He was also a Grand Bard of the Gorseth Kernow. Cornish language In 1947, Jenkin was made ...

(1925–2002), Cornish language scholar and politician * Robert Jenkin (1656–1727), English clergyman and nonjuror *

T. J. Jenkin Thomas James Jenkin (1885–1965) was professor of agriculture at University College of Wales, Aberystwyth and director of the Welsh Plant Breeding Station from 1942 to 1950. Biography Thomas James Jenkin was born in 1885 in Maenclochog, ...

(1885–1965), Welsh professor of agriculture *

Tim Jenkin Timothy Peter Jenkin (born 1948) is a South African writer, former anti-apartheid activist and political prisoner. He is best known for his 1979 escape from Pretoria Local Prison (part of the Pretoria Central Prison complex), along with Steph ...

(born 1948), South African writer, former anti-apartheid activist and political prisoner *Brown Jenkin, a “small, furry thing” with a human face in the horror story ''

The Dreams in the Witch House "The Dreams in the Witch House" is a horror short story by American writer H. P. Lovecraft, part of the Cthulhu Mythos cycle. It was written in January/February 1932 and first published in the July 1933 issue of ''Weird Tales''. Plot Walter Gi ...

'' by H. P. Lovecraft

People with the forename

Jenkin Alban Davies Jenkin Alban Davies (5 September 1885 – 18 July 1976) was a Welsh international rugby union player. Life Davies was born in Aberaeron, Wales. He was educated at Jesus College, Oxford, but did not win a "Blue". He first played for Swans ...

(1885–1976), Welsh international rugby union player *

Jenkin Coles Sir Jenkin Coles (19 January 1843 – 6 December 1911) was a South Australian politician. He was a member of the South Australian House of Assembly from 1875 to 1878 and 1881 to 1911, representing the electorates of Light (1875–78, 1881–190 ...

(1843–1911), Australian politician *

Jenkin Jones (disambiguation) Jenkin Jones may refer to: * Jenkin Jones (captain) (1623–?), Welsh captain, Puritan cleric and preacher * Jenkin Jones (pastor) (1700?–1742), Welsh Arminian pastor and writer * Jenkin Lloyd Jones (1843–1918), American Unitarian minister * Je ...

, several people *

Jenkin Thompson Captain Jenkin Robert Oswald Thompson George Cross, GC (13 July 1911 – 24 January 1944) was posthumously awarded the George Cross for conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. He was awarded the decoration for the courage he showed while ser ...

(1911–1944), British Army doctor, awarded the George Cross *

Jenkin Whiteside Jenkin Whiteside (1772September 25, 1822) was an attorney who served as a United States Senator from Tennessee. Biography Jenkin Whiteside was born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. His father, Thomas Whiteside (1742–1823), was born in County Tyron ...

(1772–1822), American lawyer and politician

References

{{Surname Anglo-Cornish surnames Surnames from given names

Forename history

Surname history

People with the surname

People with the forename

See also

References