Watkins
A Welsh-style patronymic meaning “son of Watkin,” with Watkin itself a pet form of Walter.
The #240 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 2,429 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Watkins is a patronymic surname built from the personal name Watkin plus the genitive -s, meaning “Watkin’s son” or “son of Watkin.” Watkin is a diminutive or pet form of Wat, itself a medieval short form of Walter. Walter ultimately comes from an Old Germanic name meaning “ruler of the army.”
History
The surname is especially associated with Wales and the English borderlands, where pet forms like Watkin were common and often became hereditary surnames. Nineteenth-century surname writers regularly grouped Watkins with other names built from Walter, such as Watson and Waterson. It remains a common surname in Britain and, through later migration, in the United States.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
A related form, Watkiss, was noted by one older source as an assimilated spelling of Watkins.
From the historical record
“WATKINS, Watkin's (Son) "1 . - ^|v. Watkin. WATKIN SON, Watkin's Son J WATKISS, an assim. form of Watkins, q.v.”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)