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Dawkins History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Dawkins History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The Anglo-Saxon name Dawkins comes from the personal name David. Daw was a common diminutive of David in the Middle Ages. 1 2

The surname is a compound of daw and kin, and literally means "the kin of David." Over time there were changes in pronunciation and spelling, leading to many different variants of the name.

Early Origins of the Dawkins family

The surname Dawkins was first found in Norfolk at Docking, but strong evidence points to another possible origin of the family. "In the charter of endowment of Eton College, mention is made of the alien priory of Dokkyng, the monks whereof are supposed by Tanner to have belonged to the Abbey de Ibreio, in Normandy, to which this church was formerly appropriated. " 3

Continuing this possible origin, we found Thomas of Docking (fl. 1250), a "Franciscan, is stated in the Royal MS. 3 B. xii. in the British Museum to have been really named 'Thomas Gude, i.e. Bonus,' but called 'Dochyng' from the place of his birth (Casley, Catalogue of the Manuscripts of the King's Library, p. 43, London, 1734), evidently the village of Docking in the north of the county of Norfolk. The same manuscript describes him as doctor of divinity at Oxford." 4

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 an early Latin entry for the family: Daykenus (without surname), in County Rutland. 5 A few years later, Daykin de Wich was recorded in the Assize Rolls for Cheshire in 1290 and later again, Richard Deykin was recorded in Shropshire in 1344. 6

In Yorkshire, the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 had the following entries: Dakyn de Idsford; Johannes Dawkyn; and Henricus Daykyn. The latter entry was dated 1370. 5

"The Dakins of Buxton and the Daykins of Alfreton possess an ancient Derbyshire name. The family of Dakeny or De Akeny followed William the Conqueror into England, and in the 13th century they were settled in Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, and Bedfordshire, where they held possessions; in the 15th century they were established in Herts, Derbyshire, and Yorkshire; and in Derbyshire the Dakins owned lands in Chelmorton, Fairfield, and Wollow in the reign of Edward IV. " 7

Early History of the Dawkins family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dawkins research. Another 222 words (16 lines of text) covering the years 1275, 1547, 1607, 1654, 1655, 1656, 1691, 1698, 1722, 1744, 1757, 1793 and 1804 are included under the topic Early Dawkins History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dawkins Spelling Variations

One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Dawkins has appeared include Dakin, Dakins, Dakyn, Daykin, Daykins, Daken, Deakin, Daikins, Daikyns, Daikin, Dayken, Daiken, Deakyn, Deake, Deaken and many more.

Early Notables of the Dawkins family

Notables of this surname at this time include:

Rowland Dawkins (died 1691), a Welsh military colonel and politician, Member of Parliament for Carmarthenshire (1654-1656.)
James Dawkins (1722-1757), descended from Henry Dawkins I (1698-1744), a Jamaican wealthy sugar plantation owner. It is thought the family settled on Jamaica shortly after its seizure from the Spanish...

Dawkins Ranking

In the United States, the name Dawkins is the 1,649^th most popular surname with an estimated 19,896 people with that name. 8

Dawkins migration to the United States +

At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Dawkins arrived in North America very early:

Dawkins Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Joseph Dawkins, who landed in Maryland in 1656 9

Dawkins Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Thomas Dawkins, aged 36, who arrived in Missouri in 1846 9
James Dawkins, aged 38, who arrived in Missouri in 1847 9
Ivor Dawkins, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1876 9

Dawkins migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Dawkins Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. William Dawkins U.E. who arrived at Port Roseway [Shelburne], Nova Scotia on October 26, 1783 was passenger number 248 aboard the ship "HMS Clinton", picked up on September 28, 1783 at Staten Island, New York 10

Dawkins migration to Australia +

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

Dawkins Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Thomas Dawkins, (b. 1770), aged 33, British convict who was convicted in Derby, England for life for theft, transported aboard the "Calcutta" in February 1803, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1803 11
Mr. George Dawkins, British Convict who was convicted in Southampton, England for life, transported aboard the "Earl Spencer" in May 1813, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 12
Mr. Thomas Dawkins, British Convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years for larceny, transported aboard the "Caledonia" on 5th July 1820, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 13
John Dawkins, English convict from Southampton, who was transported aboard the "Asia" on October 22nd, 1824, settling in New South Wales, Australia 14
John Dawkins, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Asia" in 1839 15
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Dawkins 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:

Dawkins Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Ellen Dawkins, aged 33, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Douglas" in 1873
Minnie Dawkins, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "British King" in 1883

Contemporary Notables of the name Dawkins (post 1700) +

Sean Russell Dawkins (1971-2023), American NFL football player who was a wide receiver for nine seasons for the Indianapolis Colts (1993–1997), New Orleans Saints (1998), Seattle Seahawks (1999–2000), Jacksonville Jaguars (2001) and the Minnesota Vikings (2002)
Darryl Dawkins (1957-2015), American professional basketball player for the 76ers and New Jersey Nets, nicknamed "Chocolate Thunder"
Benjamin Cornwell Dawkins Sr. (1881-1966), United States federal judge
Ernest Dawkins, American jazz saxophonist
Travis Sentell "Gookie" Dawkins (b. 1979), American Major League Baseball shortstop
James Henry "Jimmy" Dawkins (b. 1936), American blues guitarist and singer
Johnny Earl Dawkins Jr. (b. 1963), retired American basketball player
Brian Patrick Dawkins (b. 1973), American football safety
Peter Miller Dawkins (b. 1938), American Rhodes Scholar and former Heisman Trophy winner, U.S. Army Brigadier General, and Republican candidate for Senate
George E. Dawkins Jr., American fighter pilot and flying ace in the U.S. Marine Corps, during World War II, credited with 5 aerial victories
... (Another 24 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
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 25th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/calcutta
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 8th September 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-spencer
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/caledonia
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Asia 1 voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1824 with 9 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1824
State Library of South Australia. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) ASIA 1839 from London with Captain Benjamin Freeman and 245 passengers, arrived Port Adelaide on 16-07-1839. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1839Asia-list.htm