Contents [hide]

Elkins History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Elkins History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Elkins family

The surname Elkins was first found in Oxfordshire where Elekin (without surname) was listed in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273. 1 2 The Feet of Fines for Essex listed John Elekyn there in 1310 and later Thomas Elkyns was listed in Oxfordshire in 1447. 2

Early History of the Elkins family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Elkins research. Another 82 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1310, 1447, 1455 and 1487 are included under the topic Early Elkins History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Elkins Spelling Variations

Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate spelled their names differently as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Elkins have been found, including Elkins, Elkyns, Ellkins, Ellkens, Elkens, Elekins, Elekins, Elekyns, Elkin and many more.

Early Notables of the Elkins family

Distinguished members of the family include

the Elkins family of Oxfordshire

Elkins Ranking

In the United States, the name Elkins is the 1,169^th most popular surname with an estimated 27,357 people with that name. 3

Elkins migration to the United States +

Families began migrating abroad in enormous numbers because of the political and religious discontent in England. Often faced with persecution and starvation in England, the possibilities of the New World attracted many English people. Although the ocean trips took many lives, those who did get to North America were instrumental in building the necessary groundwork for what would become for new powerful nations. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America bore the name Elkins, or a variant listed above:

Elkins Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Jacob Jacobson Elkins who arrived in New York in 1633
Jacob Jacobson Elkins, aged 42, who landed in New York in 1633 4
Henry Elkins, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1635 4
Henry Elkins who settled in Boston in 1635
Ralph Elkins, who arrived in Virginia in 1657 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Elkins Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Richard Elkins, who arrived in Virginia in 1705 4

Elkins Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

William Elkins, aged 55, who landed in New York in 1812 4
James Elkins, aged 39, who arrived in New York in 1812 4
Isaac Elkins, who landed in Mobile, Ala in 1849 4
Isaac Elkins who settled in Alabama in 1849
George Elkins who arrived in San Francisco in 1850
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Elkins migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Elkins Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

John Elkins who settled in Ontario in 1871

Elkins migration to Australia +

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

Elkins Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. William Elkins, English convict who was convicted in Surrey, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Fanny" on 25th August 1815, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 5
Mr. George Elkins, English agricultural labourer who was convicted in Dorset, England for 7 years for machine breaking, transported aboard the "Eleanor" on 26th June 1831, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 6
Mr. Henry Elkins, English agricultural labourer who was convicted in Dorset, England for 7 years for machine breaking, transported aboard the "Eleanor" on 26th June 1831, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 6
Mr. Richard Elkins, (b. 1820), aged 20, British Potter who was convicted in Stafford, England for life for burglary, transported aboard the "Asia" on 25th April 1840, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he died in 1853 7
John Elkins, aged 21, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1850 aboard the ship "Fatima" 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Elkins 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:

Elkins Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Arthur Elkins, aged 25, a labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Dallam Tower" in 1875

Contemporary Notables of the name Elkins (post 1700) +

Robert "Bob" Elkins (1932-2022), American character actor born in Mount Hope, West Virginia, known for his roles in Coal Miner's Daughter (1980), The Randoms (2019) and Act of Contrition (2019)
Stephanie W. Elkins (b. 1963), American gold medalist competition swimmer at the 1978 World Championships
Davis Elkins (1876-1959), American politician, United States Senator from West Virginia in 1911
Martin Elkins, American founder of Elkins Constructors, a privately held corporation headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida founded in 1955
Gary Wayne Elkins (b. 1955), American businessman and politician, Texas State Representative from District 135 (Houston) (1995-)
William Lukens Elkins (1832-1903), American businessman, inventor, and art collector
Lawrence Clayton "Larry" Elkins (b. 1943), former American football player, inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1994
Stephen Benton Elkins (1841-1911), American industrialist and politician, United States Senator from West Virginia (1895-1911), 38th United States Secretary of War (1891-1893), co-eponym of Davis & Elkins College, Elkins, West Virginia
Wilson Homer Elkins (b. 1908), American academic, President of the University of Maryland from 1954 to 1970
Caroline Elkins Ph.D. (b. 1969), professor of History at Harvard University and awarded the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction
... (Another 21 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Elkins family +

USS Arizona

Mr. Merle Elkins, American Seaman First Class working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he survived the sinking 9

Citations +

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)
"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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 28th September 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/fairlie
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 9th February 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eleanor
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th January 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1840
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The barque FATIMA 1850, 521 tons. Retrieved http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1850Fatima.htm
Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html