Askins
An English surname probably meaning “descendant of Asketin,” a shortened medieval form of the Old French personal name Asketel.
The #9,141 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 86,508 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname is usually explained as a patronymic from the medieval personal name Asketin, which Bardsley and related sources treat as a familiar or diminutive form of Asketel. Asketel itself is generally connected with Old Norse elements, passing into English through Norman and medieval usage. In this view, Askins began as “son or family of Askin/Asketin,” with the final -s marking descent or association.
History
The name is found in English records as a related form of Askin, with Askins appearing as a later variant. Nineteenth-century surname writers grouped Askins with other forms such as Haskins, suggesting the same medieval personal-name origin. The surname is now established in Britain and especially the United States, where it survives in modest numbers.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Older surname books sometimes linked Askins, Askin, and Haskins to the same medieval name family, which is why these spellings often appear together in historical indexes.
From the historical record
“As Asketin was a Ikmlliar form (possibly diminutive) of Asketel, it is probable that Askin, Askins. and Haskins are thus derived ; AskiB. ' Item paled to Bdmonde AMell, ki”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with special American instances