Boykins
An English and Scottish surname that likely began as a patronymic form meaning “son of Boykin,” with Boykin itself probably a pet form of Boy.
The #8,073 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 75,212 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Boykins is best understood as a surname formed from the personal name Boykin, with the ending -s marking a possessive or patronymic sense: “belonging to Boykin” or “son of Boykin.” The name Boykin was treated in older surname dictionaries as a diminutive or nickname form of Boy, itself a familiar medieval byname. In that older view, the underlying sense is roughly “little boy” or “young fellow,” though the exact pathway is not certain.
History
Older English surname scholarship grouped Boykins with surnames such as Wilkins and Watkins, where the final -s reflects descent from a pet name. In the United States, Boykins is now best known as a relatively uncommon surname, and it also appears in place names and family lines especially in the South. Because the historical record is thin, the exact origin of each family line may vary.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Boykins is a good example of a surname that looks plural but is really a family-name form built from a nickname plus a patronymic -s.
From the historical record
“Wiljun, Pcrkin, Watkin, &c. With the genitive Boykins, cf. Wilkins, Perkins, Watkina, &c Philadelphia, *, i. Boyland, Boylan,— Local, 'of”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with special American instances