Perkins History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The rich and ancient history of the Perkins family name dates back to the time of the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It comes from the baptismal name Peter. Baptismal names began to appear as surnames relatively late in the growth of the naming tradition. This is a little surprising, given the popularity of biblical figures in the Christian countries of Europe. Nevertheless, surnames derived from baptismal names grew in popularity during the Middle Ages, and have become one of the foremost sources for surnames. In this case the surname Perkins was originally derived from two elements; per a form of Peter and the suffix kin. The literal meaning of the surname is Little Peter, which denotes the son of Peter. 1

Early Origins of the Perkins family

The surname Perkins was first found in Leicestershire. The name is traditionally “confined mostly to the southern half of England, being most numerous in Warwickshire, Worcestershire, and South Wales. ” 2

Early rolls listed the name in singular and plural forms: Edmund Perkyn 1327 in the Subsidy Rolls for Suffolk; Robert Parkyn 1327 in the Subsidy Rolls for Staffordshire; Walter Perkyns 1327 in the Subsidy Rolls for Worcester; and Maud Parkynes 1332 in the Subsidy Rolls for Warwickshire

Known as the birth place of William Shakespeare in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire is located in the West Midlands region.  Bordered by Staffordshire, Leicestershire, Worchestershire, Northamptonshire and West Midlands as well as Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire. It originally included more areas including Coventry, Solihull, Sutton Coldfield and some of Birmingham until these became part of the County of West Midlands in 1974. Other boundary changes occurred in 1844, 1888, 1891, 1909, 1911, 1928, and 1931.  Tourism is a key part of the economy with castles and estates, country parks and the theater district in Stratford-upon-Avon including the Royal Shakespeare Theater.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warwickshire. 3