Show ContentsPopkin History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Popkin is one of the oldest family names to come from the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It is derived from the name Os, which is a short form for several personal names, including Osgod, Osbeorn, and Osmær. Os is supplemented by the common diminutive suffix -kin. While early records almost all include the "O" prefix, over the years this was dropped and now we typically find the name with an "H" prefix. One source notes that the name could have been derived from the Dutch personal name, Huskens. 1

Early Origins of the Popkin family

The surname Popkin was first found in Lancashire at Heskin, a township, in the parish of Eccleston, union of Chorley, hundred of Leyland. "Heskin being a joint manor with Eccleston, descended with it from the Gernets and Dacres to the family of Molyneux, of Sefton." 2

Early London rolls included the two earliest records of the family. The Hundredorum Rolls of 1274 listed Osekin (without surname) and Robert Osekin. 3 4

Peter Osekyn was listed in the Feet of Fines of 1306 in Essex, and later Thomas Hoskyns was listed in Berkshire in 1463. 4

Early History of the Popkin family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Popkin research. Another 100 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1566, 1568, 1590, 1593, 1603, 1609, 1615, 1634, 1638, 1640, 1646, 1648, 1654, 1664, 1675, 1676, 1677, 1680, 1682, 1683, 1694, 1705, 1711, 1717, 1722, 1764 and 1767 are included under the topic Early Popkin History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Popkin Spelling Variations

Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Popkin has undergone many spelling variations, including Hoskins, Hoskin, Hosken, Hoskyne, Hoskyns, Haskin, Haskins, Hasken, Haskyne and many more.

Early Notables of the Popkin family

Notables of the family at this time include Serjeant John Hoskins (1566-1638), an English poet, scholar of Greek, and politician. He was born at Monton or Monkton, now known as Monnington-upon-Wye, in the parish of Llanwarne, Herefordshire, an estate of which his family had long possessed the leasehold interest and was the son of John Hoskins. 5Jane Fenn Hoskens (1694-1764), was an English author and early immigrant to America.The Hoskyns of Harewood in the County of Hereford, is a title in the Baronetage of England. It was created on 18 December 1676 for Bennet Hoskyns, Member of Parliament for Wendover, Hereford...
Another 103 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Popkin Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Popkin migration to the United States +

To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Popkin were among those contributors:

Popkin Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Thomas Popkin, who landed in Virginia in 1623 6

Contemporary Notables of the name Popkin (post 1700) +

  • Gary S. Popkin (b. 1938), American retired Professor of Computer Systems at New York City College of Technology
  • Zelda Popkin (1898-1983), American author of novels and mystery stories, best known for her book The Journey Home in 1945 which sold nearly one million copies
  • Richard H. Popkin (1923-2005), American academic philosopher, best known for his work The History of Scepticism from Erasmus to Descartes (1960)
  • Gary S. Popkin, American politician, Representative from New York 11th District, 1994; Libertarian Candidate for Borough President of Brooklyn, New York, 2005 7
  • Cedric Bassett Popkin (1891-1968), Australian anti-aircraft gunner who most believe killed the German ace Manfred von Richthofen, better known as the "Red Baron"


The Popkin Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Finem respice
Motto Translation: Consider the end


  1. Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. Print.
  2. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  3. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  4. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  5. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  6. 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)
  7. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 22) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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