EnglandIt was among those Anglo-Saxon tribes that once ruled over Britain that the name Dockins was formed. The name was derived from the personal name David. Daw was a common diminutive of David in the Middle Ages. 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.
The surname Dockins was first found in Norfolk at Docking, where 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. " [1]
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." [2]
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dockins research. Another 71 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1275, 1691, 1654, 1656 and 1607 are included under the topic Early Dockins History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Until the dictionary, an invention of only the last few hundred years, the English language lacked any comprehensive system of spelling rules. Consequently, spelling variations in names are frequently found in early Anglo-Saxon and later Anglo-Norman documents. One person's name was often spelled several different ways over a lifetime. The recorded variations of Dockins include Dakin, Dakins, Dakyn, Daykin, Daykins, Daken, Deakin, Daikins, Daikyns, Daikin, Dayken, Daiken, Deakyn, Deake, Deaken and many more.
Another 45 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Dockins Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
In the United States, the name Dockins is the 16,189th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. [3]
Thousands of English families boarded ships sailing to the New World in the hope of escaping the unrest found in England at this time. Although the search for opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad took the lives of many because of the cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels, the opportunity perceived in the growing colonies of North America beckoned. Many of the settlers who survived the journey went on to make important contributions to the transplanted cultures of their adopted countries. The Dockins were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records: Mr. Daken who settled in Boston Massachusetts in 1766; Gilbert Dakins settled in Virginia in 1638; Thomas Dakin settled in Concord. Some members of the name settled in Newfoundland between 1850 and 1871..
