Baskin
A surname with a likely Irish origin, often explained as a diminutive form of a Gaelic name meaning “little little calf” or similar nickname sense.
The #4,786 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 41,784 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The name is usually linked to Irish Gaelic forms recorded by older surname scholars as something like "Baskin" and "Buskin," but the surviving excerpt is noisy and does not preserve the full explanation. The most cautious reading is that it is an anglicized Irish surname, probably from a Gaelic personal name or nickname with a diminutive ending. The exact root is uncertain, so any literal meaning should be treated as provisional.
History
Baskin is found in Irish surname material and appears in Anglicized form in later records. In the United States it is now an established but relatively uncommon surname, with several hundred families carrying it. Because the early evidence is fragmentary, its precise origin is still not fully settled.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The surname was important enough to be listed by early Irish surname collectors alongside closely related spellings such as Buskin.
From the historical record
“6 t)Ai|i|i, Barr. 0 "bAifcinn, Baskin, Buskin. 0 t)AlbAin, Ballevan. O bAtiAgAin, Banigan, Banni- gan.”
— Sloinnte Gaedheal is Gall: Irish names and surnames