In case you didn’t catch this, my last name ends in ‘kins’. I’ve always wondered about my name, so I did some research. This page is all about what I’ve learned about my last name.
Overview
- Jenkins literally means, “Little John” or “Son of John”.
- The Welsh variant of John, which is Johanan, means “God is Gracious”.
- It is from the name of John (Jen, Jan, and Jon, which are all forms of the name John. John, in turn, is derived from Zion. See below for more on this.)
- It contains two diminutive suffixes: ‘kin’ and ‘s’. Hence, it’s a double-diminutive. The ‘kin’ suffix is commonly held to have been brought to Britain from the Netherlands as early as the 12th century, when it is found as a component of the surnames of some Flemish settlers.
- It has long been associated with Wales. It appears to have originated in the Cornwall, England area but became popular in Wales.
Wikipedia states:
“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.” It first was found in Monmouthshire in the Domesday Book of 1086 and some say eariler than 1066 and the Norman Conquest 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 Cornish people (and later in reference to some Welsh) because of the relative smaller stature or more likely as a derogatory for the subjects or illegitimate offspring of King John of England who was known as John, Earl of Cornwall and Gloucester before he received his crown.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jenkins_(surname))
Spelling Variations
The Welsh have an extremely large amount of spelling variations of their native surnames to their credit. The earliest explanation for the preponderance of spelling variations is that when Welsh surnames initially developed the vast majority of the population was illiterate. It was therefore up to the priest or the scribe taking the official records to determine how the spoken name was to be made literal. As time progressed, the old Brythonic names of Wales were recorded in English, which was especially problematic since the English language had extreme difficulty recording the highly inflected sounds of Cymraeg. Spelling variations were also carried out according to an individual’s design: a branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even patriotic affiliations could be indicated by spelling variations of one’s name. (Can’t remember the source for this. Sorry.)
Known spelling variations of the name Jenkins:
- Jenkins
- Jenkin
- Jankins
- Jenkynn
- Jenkynns
- Jenkyns
- Jinkines
- Jinkins
- Jenkens
- Jenniskens
- Junkin
- Junkins
- Siencyn – an early Welsh variation – John is sometimes spelled Zhahn, or even Sion. Sien is an acceptable variation.
- Shinkwinn – a common Irish variation.
Sources of spelling variations include manuscripts such as:
- Domesday Book
- Pipe Rolls
- Hearth Rolls
- Black Book of the Exchequer
- Curia Regis Rolls
Siencyn and it’s relationship to John
When I first saw the variation ‘Siencyn’, I had to ponder it for a few minutes. Shortly, it was obvious that by softening the ‘J’ in John, the names Shawn and Sean are easily associated. The websiteThink Baby Names lists 85 variations of John, including these two. Sion is the Welsh form of John (See Wikipedia). The Welsh Society of Central Ohio lists several variations of John, including Sion. This same page shows an example of morphing from one name to another in the section about ‘Where in the heck did the name Jones come from?’.
The name Sion, the Welsh form of John, means, ‘God is Gracious’.
Possible relationship between Jenkins and Zion and their deeper meaning
Several sites, already referred to on this page, seem to connect the name John to the word Zion. It is obvious that the two have very similar, indeed, identical, spelling variations – at least in English. I’m going to take the liberty of connecting the two and make the implication that John is derived from the Hebrew word for Zion. Granted, this is a big leap, especially when considering the possible Hebraic spellings of John and Zion. Even if there is no connection, it’s educational and inspiring to consider the implications of the word Zion and it’s implications on my last name, as shown next.
The Hebrew word for Zion is Tsiyon or Tsion. The consonants that make up Tsiyon are: Tsadey, Yud and Nun or just Tsadey and Nun. I’ll work with the longer form for the sake of emphasis later.
In Hebrew, each letter has a meaning. This applies to letters, not just words. If I asked what the English letter ‘B’ stands for, the answer would be, ‘It doesn’t have a meaning. It simply represents a sound.” This is not the case in Hebrew. The letters in the word Tsiyon and their meanings are:
- Tsadey: (z or tz sound): wait, chase, snare, hunt. May I add the synonyms: pursue, search, find, follow.
- Yud: (i or y sound; often modified to form another vowel sound): work, throw, worship.
- Nun: (n sound): continue, heir, son.
The Hebrew word ‘Tsiyon’, when viewed this way, implies hunting for, searching for, following, working for, worshiping and continuing with the Son – the Son of God, heir of God the Father.
With a little research over time, the name ‘Jenkins’ takes on a whole new, broader and deeper meaning. Instead of the dull, boring, ordinary name I thought I had, I now have a name that bears witness of the Son of God (along with all other things). It inspires me to pursue knowledge of Christ, to follow Him and to build Zion, his kingdom on Earth. It implies a hope of a continuation in Eternity and all that goes with it – marriage, family, worlds without end…
And behold, all things have their likeness, and all things are created and made to bear record of me, both things which are temporal, and things which are spiritual; things which are in the heavens above, and things which are on the earth, and things which are in the earth, and things which are under the earth, both above and beneath: all things bear record of me. (Moses 6:63).
I am grateful for the name my dad gave me.
Other references:
Think Baby Names
House of Names – Jenkins
House of Names – Welsh Surnames
House of Names – Spelling Variations
House of Names – Wales – A Brief History/a>
House of Names – Norman Conquest
http://www.ligtel.com/~wales/Grandpas.html
Wikipedia – Jenkins Surname