Thompkins
A patronymic surname built from Thomas, with an inserted -p- shape seen in older English surname forms like Tompkins.
The #5,998 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 53,863 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Thompkins is a pet or diminutive patronymic ultimately from the given name Thomas, which comes from the Aramaic name meaning “twin.” The surname reflects an English naming pattern in which Thomas produced forms such as Tomkins and Thompkins, with the inserted -p- likely coming through pronunciation and spelling variation in older English. In practical terms, it means “son or descendant of Thomas” or “little Thomas.”
History
Bardsley treats Thompkins as part of a larger family of Thomas-based surnames, alongside Tompkins, Tomkins, and Tomkinsons. The spelling with -ph- and -p- is a later orthographic variant rather than a separate root. It is comparatively uncommon today, but it fits a well-established English surname pattern that spread through hereditary use from medieval and early modern nickname forms.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Bardsley grouped Thompkins with other Thomas surnames as one of several “pet” forms that grew into inherited family names.
From the historical record
“Hence we have derived such surnames as ' Simpkins ' and ' Simpkinson,' * Thompkins ' and ' Tomkinson.' 2. CoSk. — Our nursery literature still secures in its ' cock-robins,' ' cock-boats,' and ' cock-horses,' the immortality of this second termination. It forms an important clement in such names as ' Sinicox,' ' Jeff-”
— English Surnames: their sources and significations