Gaskins
A surname commonly explained as meaning “from Gascony,” the old French region in southwestern France.
The #3,428 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 29,647 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname is generally treated as a form of the regional name Gascoigne/Gascony, referring to someone from Gascony in southwestern France. The older spelling tradition points to a French place-name source rather than a personal name. In effect, it began as an ethnic or locational label meaning “a Gascon” or “from Gascony.”
History
Bardsley explicitly links Gaskins with the older form Gascoignes and derives it from Gascony. The name appears in English records in various spellings, reflecting the normal shift from medieval French place-based surnames into later English family names. In the United States it is established but not especially common, with a modest modern bearer count.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The surname is one of several English family names that preserve a medieval connection to a French province rather than to a town or occupation.
From the historical record
“dured between the two countries through royal alliances. Our ' Arters' and ' Artis,' once registered ' de Artoys,' came from ' Artois ; ' our ' Gaskins,' and more correct ' Gascoigncs,' from ' Gascony ; ' and our ' Burgons' and ' Burgoynes' from Burgundy." To Champagne it is we are indebted for our ' Champneys* and…”
— English Surnames: their sources and significations