Perkins History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Perkins

What does the name Perkins mean?

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. 3

Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate spelled their names differently as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Perkins have been found, including Perkins, Perkin, Perkyns, Perkens, Perkynn and others.

Early Notables of the Perkins family

Distinguished members of the family include

• John Perkins or Parkins (died 1545), an English jurist; he may have been the John Perkins who was a groom of the royal chamber in 1516
• William Perkins (1558-1602) was English Puritan theologian and Sir Christopher Perkins or Parkins (1547-1622) was an English diplomatist, master of requests and dean of Carlisle. Another Christopher P…
• Joseph Perkins (born c. 1658) was the younger son of George Perkins of Slimbridge, Gloucestershire. He was chaplain in the navy and sailed to the Mediterranean in the Norfolk under Admiral Edward Russ…
• Sir William Parkyns (Perkins) (1649?-1696) was an English lawyer and Jacobite conspirator, executed for high treason