Scoggins
An English patronymic surname meaning “son of Scoggin,” a medieval personal name probably used as a nickname.
The #4,282 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 37,189 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Scoggins is best understood as a patronymic formed from the medieval name Scoggin or Scogan, with the final -s marking “son of” or family descent. The personal name is generally linked to an old nickname, probably connected with a word for a fop, joker, or flatterer, though 19th-century writers did not always agree on the exact root. Some later surname dictionaries also note that the form may have developed with intrusive sounds in spelling and pronunciation.
History
The name is recorded in medieval England, including Norfolk and Suffolk, and it survives mainly as an English surname that later spread more widely through migration. Some historians connect it with the better-known medieval figure Robert Scogan, which helped preserve the underlying personal name in historical records. The modern spelling Scoggins reflects the patronymic form that became fixed as a hereditary family name.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
One 20th-century surname scholar suggested that Scoggins may show an intrusive -r- in some related forms, illustrating how surnames can shift shape over time.
From the historical record
“Wei ysgogyn, ' fop,' ' flatterer.' SCOGGINS, Scoggin's (Son) : v. Sooggln. SCOLDING (Scand.) Dane, Scandinavian; Scalding [from the Danish royal family the Skioldungar (cp. 'Skidldunga Saga') = Descendants of Skiold : O.N. skiSld-r, skiald- (Dan.-NorwisWoW, Swed. sfe/i)i a shield] Scoles”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)