Show ContentsMankin History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Welsh Mankin surname is thought to derived from name of the village of Machen, located near Caerphilly, in the county of Monmouthshire.

Alternatively, the name could have been derived from the name of an ancestor as in 'the son of Matthew.' 1

Early Origins of the Mankin family

The surname Mankin was first found in Monmouthshire (Welsh: Sir Fynwy), at Machen, a parish, in the union of Newport, partly in the hundred of Wentlloog, South Wales. 2

Early History of the Mankin family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Mankin research. Another 65 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1541, 1600, 1614 and 1675 are included under the topic Early Mankin History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Mankin Spelling Variations

Welsh surnames are relatively few in number, but they have an inordinately large number of spelling variations. There are many factors that explain the preponderance of Welsh variants, but the earliest is found during the Middle Ages when Welsh surnames came into use. Scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, which often resulted in a single person's name being inconsistently recorded over his lifetime. The transliteration of Welsh names into English also accounts for many of the spelling variations: the unique Brythonic Celtic language of the Welsh had many sounds the English language was incapable of accurately reproducing. It was also common for members of a same surname to change their names slightly, in order to signify a branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even patriotic affiliations. For all of these reasons, the many spelling variations of particular Welsh names are very important. The surname Mankin has occasionally been spelled Machen, Machin, Machon, Mackon, Makin, Makins, MacMacken and many more.

Early Notables of the Mankin family

Prominent amongst the family during the late Middle Ages was Thomas Machen (c. 1541-1614), an English mercer who was mayor of Gloucester three times, Member of Parliament for Gloucester in 1614; Bathsua Reginald Makin (c.1600-c.1675) English middle-class proto-feminist who...
Another 39 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Mankin Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Mankin Ranking

In the United States, the name Mankin is the 13,717th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 3

Migration of the Mankin family to Ireland

Some of the Mankin family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 31 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Mankin migration to the United States +

In the 1800s and 1900s, many Welsh families left for North America, in search of land, work, and freedom. Those who made the trip successfully helped contribute to the growth of industry, commerce, and the cultural heritage of both Canada and the United States. In the immigration and passenger lists were a number of people bearing the name Mankin

Mankin Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • George Mankin, who arrived in Maryland in 1666 4
Mankin Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Ester Mankin, aged 8, who immigrated to America from Hull, in 1904
  • Sarah Mankin, aged 68, who immigrated to the United States from Kingston, in 1907
  • John M Mankin, aged 16, who landed in America, in 1919
  • Abraham Mankin, aged 18, who landed in America from London, England, in 1920
  • Thomas Hillary Mankin, aged 35, who landed in America, in 1921
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Mankin (post 1700) +

  • Helen Douglas Mankin (1896-1956), American politician, the second woman to represent Georgia in the United States House of Representatives (1946-1947)
  • Hart T. Mankin (d. 1995), General Counsel of the Navy from 1971 to 1973
  • Lee P. Mankin, American fighter pilot and flying ace in the U.S. Navy, during World War II, credited with 5 aerial victories
  • Jackson C. Mankin, American fighter pilot and flying ace in the U.S. Army Air Forces, during World War II, credited with 5 aerial victories
  • Jack H. Mankin, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Indiana 6th District, 1950, 1952 5
  • Helen Douglas Mankin (1896-1956), American politician, Member of Georgia State Legislature, 1937; U.S. Representative from Georgia 5th District, 1946-47; Defeated (Independent), 1946 5
  • Valentyn Grigoryevich Mankin (b. 1938), retired Soviet/Ukrainian sailor, three times Olympic champion for the USSR team
  • Romi Mankin (b. 1947), Estonian physicist

USS Indianapolis
  • Howard James Mankin, American crew member on board the ship "USS Indianapolis" when she was on a top secret trip for the first nuclear weapon, she was sunk by Japanese Navy on 30th July 1945, he was one of the many who were killed in the sinking due to exposure, dehydration, saltwater poisoning and shark attacks 6


  1. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  2. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  3. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  4. 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)
  5. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 8) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  6. Final Crew List, retrieved 2021, October 30th Retrieved from https://www.ussindianapolis.com/final-crew


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