Jenkins is a

surname In many societies, a surname, family name, or last name is the mostly hereditary portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family. It is typically combined with a given name to form the full name of a person, although several give ...

that originated in

Cornwall Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...

, but came to be popular in southern Wales. The name "Jenkin" originally meant "little John" or "son of John". The "kin" portion is of

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

or Danish origin (''-kijn''), which then gained a certain popularity in England.

History

As a forename

John, followed by kin/ken meaning 'little',

gave GAVE may refer to: * Gave (Melgaço), a parish in Portugal * Gave (placename element), a French word meaning ''torrential river'' in the west Pyrenees * Gastric antral vascular ectasia (GAVE), a medical condition * Gabinete de Avaliação Educacio ...

Jenkin or Jenken. The first use of the name "Jenkins" or "Jenkens" in England occurred as early as 1086 as a

diminutive A diminutive is a word obtained by modifying a root word to convey a slighter degree of its root meaning, either to convey the smallness of the object or quality named, or to convey a sense of intimacy or endearment, and sometimes to belittle s ...

of the English form of ''John''.About the Jenkins' Family Name: http://www.djenkins.org/blog/?page_id=45 It was often translated ( a loan word) from the Flemish/French as "John the younger" or seen as "John Jenken" and incorrectly, but frequently referred to as "Little John". The non-diminutive Jehan/Jehannes (pronounced "Jo-han/Jon-han-es") was also translated into English as John. When Jen/Jean and Jehan/Jehannes is seen, it is not reflective of birth order. Jehan/Jehannes is listed as "John the elder" in English, but never translated or seen as "Big John". In early English history, confusion can arise when the sire is listed as John, a son is John (the elder) and another son is John (the younger). At that time, it was a direct reference to the name John in the formal and diminutive forms and not associated with birth order. Today, the term "John, Senior" is sometimes used for the father, distinguishing him from "John, Junior" or a numeric designation (e.g., "II"). "

Jon Jon is a shortened form of the common given name Jonathan, derived from "YHWH has given". The name is spelled Jón in Iceland and on the Faroe Islands. In the Nordic countries, it is derived from Johannes. Notable people * Jon Aaraas (born 1986 ...

" the phonetic of John is sometimes seen but only in males as is the diminutive nickname of "Johnny." The French male name "

Jean Jean may refer to: People * Jean (female given name) * Jean (male given name) * Jean (surname) Fictional characters * Jean Grey, a Marvel Comics character * Jean Valjean, fictional character in novel ''Les Misérables'' and its adaptations * J ...

", formerly pronounced "Jon", has not been common in English usage as a male name, but has been associated as 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 ...

(pronounced as Gene) since the 16th century.Klaus P. Schneider, ''Diminutives in English'', Max Niemeyer Verlag 2003. For more information see
Jean#Limburgish

As a surname

Jenkins is a

variant of

Jenkin Jenkin, of Franconian origin, is translated in English as "Little John" 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 cre ...

commonly seen in Cornish and in English (mainly

Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...

) ancestry. Its translation is "

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." Its earliest documented occurrence was in

Monmouthshire Monmouthshire ( ; ) is a Principal areas of Wales, county in the South East Wales, south east of Wales. It borders Powys to the north; the English counties of Herefordshire and Gloucestershire to the north and east; the Severn Estuary to the s ...

, 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 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...

of 1086, but it almost certainly predates 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 Normans, Norman, French people, French, Flemish people, Flemish, and Bretons, Breton troops, all led by the Du ...

. A common English use, leading to use as a surname, may have been the now-obsolete "little Johns", a 12th-century term for the Cornish (and later Welsh) people, either alluding to their comparatively small stature or, more likely, classing them as illegitimate offspring of the unpopular 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 Empi ...

, who was previously the Earl of Cornwall and Gloucester. A Welsh form of the name is ''Siencyn''. "Jenkin" or "Jenkins" and variants should not be construed as shortened forms of "Jenkinson", which denotes "the son of little John."Select Jenkins Surname Genealogy - Jenkins and Siencyn http://www.selectsurnames2.com/jenkins.html

Spelling variations

Variations of the name Jenkins have included: *Jankins *Jenken *Jenkens *Jenkin *Jenkins *Jenkynn *Jenkynns *

Jenkyns Jenkyns is a surname. People with the surname include: * Andrea Jenkyns (born 1974), British politician * Caesar Jenkyns (1866–1941), Welsh international footballer * Henry Jenkyns (1838–1899), English lawyer and parliamentary counsel * Richa ...

*Jenniskens *Jinkens *Jinkines * Jinkins *Junkin *Junkins *Siencyn – a

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, of or about Wales * Welsh language, spoken in Wales * Welsh people, an ethnic group native to Wales Places * Welsh, Arkansas, U.S. * Welsh, Louisiana, U.S. * Welsh, Ohio, U.S. * Welsh Basin, during t ...

variation – John is sometimes spelled Zhahn, Sion and Sien

References

* * {{surname, Jenkins English-language surnames Patronymic surnames Surnames from given names Welsh-language surnames

History

As a forename

As a surname

Spelling variations

See also

References