Wadkins History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Wales
Ireland

A product of the ancient Brythonic Celts of Wales, the name Wadkins, is from the personal name Walter. The surname Wadkins is derived from the pet form Wat, which is supplemented by the common diminutive suffix -kin.

Early Origins of the Wadkins family

The surname Wadkins was first found in Breconshire (Welsh: Sir Frycheiniog), a traditional county in southern Wales, which takes its name from the Welsh kingdom of Brycheiniog (5th-10th centuries), where they held a family seat at Pennoyre from ancient times and early in the eleventh century branched to Llangorse in that same shire.

Early History of the Wadkins family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wadkins research. Another 45 words (3 lines of text) covering the years 1653, 1660, 1665 and 1670 are included under the topic Early Wadkins History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wadkins Spelling Variations

Although there are not an extremely large number Welsh surnames, there are an inordinately large number of spelling variations of those surnames. This variety of spellings began almost immediately after the acceptance of surnames within Welsh society. As time progressed, these old Brythonic names were eventually were recorded in English. This process was problematic in that many of the highly inflected sounds of the native language of Wales could not be properly captured in English. Some families, however, did decide to modify their own names to indicate a branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even a patriotic affiliation. The name Wadkins has seen various spelling variations: Watkins, Watkyns, Watkens, Watkin and others.

Early Notables of the Wadkins family

Prominent amongst the family during the late Middle Ages was Morgan Watkins (fl. 1653-1670), English Quaker from Herefordshire who was imprisoned in 1660 in St. Albans gaol and later twice in 1665...
Another 32 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Wadkins Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wadkins Ranking

In the United States, the name Wadkins is the 15,020^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Migration of the Wadkins family to Ireland

Some of the Wadkins family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wadkins migration to the United States +

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many people from Wales joined the general migration to North America in search of land, work, and freedom. These immigrants greatly contributed to the rapid development of the new nations of Canada and the United States. They also added a rich and lasting cultural heritage to their newly adopted societies. Investigation of immigration and passenger lists has revealed a number of people bearing the name Wadkins:

Wadkins Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Andrew Wadkins, who landed in Mississippi in 1798 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Wadkins (post 1700) +

Opaline Deveraux Wadkins (1912-2000), American academic who organized the first school to train black nurses in Oklahoma City and fought for desegregation of the College of Nursing at the University of Oklahoma, inducted into the Oklahoma Women's Hall of Fame in 1993
Robert Edwin Wadkins (b. 1951), American professional PGA golfer, inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame, younger brother of Lanny Wadkins
Jerry Lanston "Lanny" Wadkins Jr. (b. 1949), American professional PGA golfer who has won the Masters three times, inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2009, PGA Player of the Year in 1985

The Wadkins 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: Pen-aur-y-chalon Wir
Motto Translation: A golden head and true heart.

Citations +

"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)