Jenkins (surname)

Jenkins
Family name
Pronunciation	Jen-kins & Jon-kins
Meaning	diminutive of John with Dutch (Flemish) influence becoming "Little John"
Related names	Jenkin, Jenken, Jankin, Siencyn
Footnotes:

Jenkins is a surname that originated in Cornwall, 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 origin (-kijn), which then gained a certain popularity in England.

John, borrowed from French (Jehan), followed by kin/ken meaning 'little', gave Jenkin or Jenken. The first use of the name "Jenkins" or "Jenkens" in England occurred as early as 1086 as a diminutive of the English form of John. 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 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" the phonetic of John is sometimes seen but only in males as is the diminutive nickname of "Johnny." The French male name "Jean", formerly pronounced "Jon", has not been common in English usage as a male name, but has been associated as a female name (pronounced as Gene) since the 16th century. For more information see: Jean#Limburgish

Jenkins is a surname variant of Jenkin commonly seen in Cornish and in English (mainly Devon) ancestry. Its translation is "Little John" or, more literally, "John the little." Its earliest documented occurrence was in Monmouthshire, in the Domesday Book of 1086, but it almost certainly predates the Norman Conquest. Jenkin(s) is unique [really?] in being a double diminutive as a surname since it was once a primary forename. A Jenkin son of Jenkin would be Jenkin Jenkin which was sensibly made into just Jenkins.

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