Lampkin
A diminutive surname ultimately from Lamb, often understood as “little Lamb” or a pet-form built from the animal name.
The #5,743 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 51,168 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Lampkin is generally treated as a diminutive surname built from Lamb, with the -kin ending used in Middle English to form pet names and family names. In older surname writers, it is grouped with forms like Lambkin and sometimes linked to Lamp- as a spelling variant. The core sense is therefore usually “little Lamb” or “descendant of someone called Lamb.”
History
19th-century surname dictionaries regularly treat Lampkin as a variant of Lambkin, and they often list it alongside related forms such as Lampson and Lamping. The name appears in English records in medieval and post-medieval spellings, though many early examples are clustered with other Lamb- surnames rather than standing apart clearly. In modern use it survives as a relatively uncommon English and American surname.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Older surname writers sometimes debated whether Lampkin belonged with Lamb or with other Lamp- forms, showing how fluid spelling could be in historical records.
From the historical record
“Lambert,' from the nick. Lamb and dim. Lambkin. No doubt a variant of Lambkin or Lampkin, q,v. Pbitadclpbia, 5. Xiumadon.. — Local, *of Luma- den,' an ancient manor in the”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with special American instances