Lakin
A surname probably from an old personal name, though some early writers linked it to place-names or a regional form of Lake.
The #8,023 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 74,829 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname Lakin is usually treated as a diminutive or pet-form surname, probably from a medieval personal name rather than from the modern word lake. Some older surname writers suggested connections with place-names such as Laeken in Belgium or Lacon in Normandy, while others compared it with older English forms like "Laecing"; these proposals are possible but not securely proven. In practice, the name may also have been influenced by similar-sounding surnames in Dutch and French records.
History
The name appears in English records by the late medieval and early modern period, and it is found in several counties in later surname distributions. The historical evidence in older reference books is mixed and often speculative, so the exact origin may vary between unrelated families. In modern usage, Lakin is an established but relatively uncommon English surname, with noticeable presence in Britain and the United States.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Old surname surveys record Lakin in English county distributions and even note a 17th-century presence in eastern England.
From the historical record
“j6od Married— Oanyeil Bmei and Eli*. Lakin.; Stjaa. CWkenwell. iii.si. 1™. — Rev. Charlei Wran and Ca- tbenne Bmca : SLHary Aldwmary. p 49. LondoD, ;. 1 ; New York. 10, ».”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with special American instances