Lumpkin
A surname likely formed as a diminutive of Lump or Lamb, though its exact origin is uncertain.
The #3,805 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 33,173 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The name has been explained in more than one way, but the safest traditional view is that it is a diminutive surname built from Lump or possibly from Lamb/Lambert through forms like Lambkin. Some 19th-century writers also thought it may be connected with German-looking forms rather than being purely English. Because the historical evidence is thin and the explanations conflict, the exact root is uncertain.
History
The surname appears in English-language surname lists and is recorded in the United States by the 19th century. It is best known in American history through figures such as Chief Justice Joseph Henry Lumpkin of Georgia. Modern U.S. census data show it as an uncommon surname.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Nineteenth-century surname writers treated Lumpkin as one of several closely related names grouped with Lump, Lumb, and Lumpy, showing how uncertain the old explanations were.
From the historical record
“I ; New York, 2. Lumpkin. — Bapt. *the son of Lambert,' from the nick. Lamb and dim. Lambkin. No doubt a variant of Lambkin or Lampkin, q.v. Philadelphia, 5.”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (alternate scan)