Contents [hide]

Thompkins History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Thompkins History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The distinguished surname Thompkins is of English origin. It is derived from the first name "Tom," the popular diminutive of the name "Thomas," and, when combined with the Medieval suffix of endearment "kin," means "son of dear little Tom."

Early Origins of the Thompkins family

The surname Thompkins was first found in Herefordshire, where they held a family seat from ancient times and were Lords of the manor of Monington. "This parish, which is situated on the river Wye, and on the road from Hereford to Hay, comprises by computation 1000 acres." 1

Later the family was also found in Buckinghamshire where "the name of Tompkins occurred in Soulbury in the 16th century. Nathaniel Tomkins, Esq., who married a Miss Waller in 1624, attained notoriety from his connection with the Waller plot." 2

Early History of the Thompkins family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Thompkins research. Another 66 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1569, 1572, 1605, 1624, 1629, 1636, 1637, 1640, 1656, 1661, 1663, 1674, 1675, 1706 and 1930 are included under the topic Early Thompkins History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Thompkins Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Tompkins, Tomkins, Tomkyns, Thomkins, Thompkins and others.

Early Notables of the Thompkins family

Distinguished members of the family include Thomas Tomkins (1572-1656), a Welsh-born composer of Cornish origins; James Tomkins (c.1569-1636), an English politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1624 and 1629; and Thomas Tomkins (c.1605-1674), an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1640 and 1674, supporter of the Royalist cause in the...
Another 60 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Thompkins Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Thompkins Ranking

In the United States, the name Thompkins is the 5,801^st most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 3

Migration of the Thompkins family to Ireland

Some of the Thompkins family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 51 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Thompkins migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Thompkins Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Thompkins, aged 25, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 4
Isaac Thompkins, who landed in Maryland in 1668-1669 4
Sarah Thompkins, who arrived in Maryland or Virginia in 1669 4

Thompkins Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

D Thompkins, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 4
P W Thompkins, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 4

Thompkins migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Thompkins Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. Israel Thompkins U.E. who settled in Eastern District [Cornwall], Ontario c. 1786 he served with Jessup's Corps 5

Thompkins migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Thompkins Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. John Thompkins, English convict who was convicted in Surrey, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Bengal Merchant" on 24th March 1838, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 6

Thompkins migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Thompkins Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. James Thompkins, (b. 1821), aged 35, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Joseph Fletcher" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 24th October 1856 7
Miss Laura Thompkins, (b. 1845), aged 11, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Joseph Fletcher" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 24th October 1856 7

Contemporary Notables of the name Thompkins (post 1700) +

William H. Thompkins (1872-1916), American Buffalo Soldier in the United States Army, recipient the Medal of Honor for his actions in the Spanish-American War
Kenbrell Thompkins, American NFL football wide receiver for the New England Patriots
Russell Allen Thompkins Jr. (b. 1951), American soul singer, former lead singer of the soul vocal group The Stylistics
Howard Samuel "Trey" Thompkins III (b. 1990), American professional NBA basketball player
Thompkins McIlvain, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from New York, 1900 8

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 13th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bengal-merchant
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 10) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html