Mink
A surname that can come from a nickname or from old Germanic/Frisian personal names, depending on the family line.
The #5,841 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 52,135 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname is not straightforward, and the historical sources point in more than one direction. In English contexts, it may have started as a nickname from the animal name mink, following the common pattern of surnames drawn from animal traits or associations. In Germanic and Frisian contexts, however, forms like Mink can also reflect older personal names or pet forms of given names, so not every family with this surname necessarily descends from the animal-nickname source.
History
The name appears in 19th-century surname lists alongside other animal-based surnames, which suggests at least some English-language use as a nickname surname. Other historical onomastic notes also place Mink among Germanic or Frisian name-forms, indicating an independent surname tradition in northern Europe. Because of these mixed signals, the surname may have separate origins in different regions.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Animal surnames are common in English, but Mink is unusual enough that it stands out even in old surname lists.
From the historical record
“COWDEN, COWON, COWHIG, CuDWORTH, BrINDLESON, Badger, Mink, Beaver, Beverstock, Steer, Steere, Stearling (L. 126, f. 247), Stagg, Staigg, Hirsch (German for " stag "), Ramsell, Buck, Buckman, Buckmaster (1669), Starbuck, Veal, Shep (i.e., " sheep"), CooN, Coney (i.e., "a rabbit"), McFawn, Fawne, Leverett and…”
— Suffolk Surnames (3rd ed.)