Contents [hide]

Tompkins History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Tompkins History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The distinguished surname Tompkins is of English origin. It is derived from the first name "Tom," the popular diminutive of the name "Thomas," and, when combined with the Medieval suffix of endearment "kin," means "son of dear little Tom."

Early Origins of the Tompkins family

The surname Tompkins was first found in Herefordshire, where they held a family seat from ancient times and were Lords of the manor of Monington. "This parish, which is situated on the river Wye, and on the road from Hereford to Hay, comprises by computation 1000 acres." 1

Later the family was also found in Buckinghamshire where "the name of Tompkins occurred in Soulbury in the 16th century. Nathaniel Tomkins, Esq., who married a Miss Waller in 1624, attained notoriety from his connection with the Waller plot." 2

Early History of the Tompkins family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Tompkins research. Another 66 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1569, 1572, 1605, 1624, 1629, 1636, 1637, 1640, 1656, 1661, 1663, 1674, 1675, 1706 and 1930 are included under the topic Early Tompkins History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Tompkins Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Tompkins, Tomkins, Tomkyns, Thomkins, Thompkins and others.

Early Notables of the Tompkins family

Distinguished members of the family include Thomas Tomkins (1572-1656), a Welsh-born composer of Cornish origins; James Tomkins (c.1569-1636), an English politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1624 and 1629; and Thomas Tomkins (c.1605-1674), an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1640 and 1674, supporter of the Royalist cause in the...
Another 60 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Tompkins Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Tompkins Ranking

In the United States, the name Tompkins is the 1,506^th most popular surname with an estimated 19,896 people with that name. 3

Migration of the Tompkins family to Ireland

Some of the Tompkins family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 51 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Tompkins migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Tompkins Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Thomas and William, and Ralph, Samuel, Mary, and Katherine Tompkins, who, who settled in Boston in 1635
John Tompkins, who settled in Virginia in 1636
Thomas Tompkins, who landed in Virginia in 1637 4
Ralph Tompkins, who arrived in Dorchester, Massachusetts in 1638 4
John Tompkins, who landed in Virginia in 1638 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Tompkins Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Mary Tompkins, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1720 4

Tompkins Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Ezra C Tompkins, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1875 4

Tompkins migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Tompkins Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. Jacob Tompkins U.E., (Tomkins) who settled in Canada c. 1784 5
Mr. Edmund Tompkins U.E. (b. 1756) born in Westchester County, New York, USA from Westchester County, New York, USA who settled in Canada c. 1784 he died in 1835 5
Mr. Elijah Tompkins U.E. (b. 1762) born in Westchester County, New York, USA from Westchester County, New York, USA who settled in Wakefield, York County [Carleton County], New Brunswick c. 1784 he served in Loyal American Regiment under Capt. Randles Company 5
Mr. John Roger Tompkins U.E. (b. 1758) born in Westchester County, New York, USA from Westchester County, New York, USA who settled in Wakefield, York County [Carleton County], New Brunswick c. 1784 he enlisted in 1777 serving in the Loyal American Regiment under Capt. Randles Company, married to Abigail Brewer in 1780 having 10 children, he died I 1833 5
Mr. Joseph Tompkins U.E. (b. 1764) from Westchester County, New York, USA who died in 1778 in service before settling in Canada c. 1784 he enlisted in 1777 serving in the Loyal American Regiment under Capt. Randles Company 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Tompkins migration to Australia +

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

Tompkins Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Henry Tompkins, English convict from Buckinghamshire, who was transported aboard the "America" on April 4, 1829, settling in New South Wales, Australia 6
Mr. Joseph Tompkins, English convict who was convicted in Wiltshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Captain Cook" on 2nd May 1833, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 7
Mr. Joseph Tompkins, (b. 1808), aged 29, English labourer who was convicted in London, England for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Charles Kerr" on 6th June 1837, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 8
Mr. John Tompkins, English convict who was convicted in Bedford, Bedfordshire, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "Equestrian" on 25th January 1844, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Island) 9
Charles Tompkins, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Spartan" in 1849 10
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Tompkins 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:

Tompkins Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mrs. Emma Tompkins, (b. 1820), aged 36, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Joseph Fletcher" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 24th October 1856 11
Miss Miriana Tompkins, (b. 1840), aged 16, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Joseph Fletcher" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 24th October 1856 11
Mr. Henry Tompkins, (b. 1848), aged 8, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Joseph Fletcher" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 24th October 1856 11
Mr. Mark Riddell Tompkins, (b. 1835), aged 24, British tailor travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Regina" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 4th December 1859 12
Mrs. Frances Tompkins, (b. 1840), aged 19, British settler travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Regina" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 4th December 1859 12
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Tompkins (post 1700) +

Ben Hiner Tompkins (1929-2023), American college and professional athlete and NFL referee who officiated two Super Bowls
Ronald Everett "Ron" Tompkins (1944-2023), American Major League Baseball pitcher for the Kansas City Athletics (1965) and Chicago Cubs (1971)
Ronald G. Tompkins (d. 2022), American physician and academic, Sumner M. Redstone Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School and chief of Surgery, Science and Bioengineering at Massachusetts General Hospital’s (MGH) Division of Surgery
Douglas Rainsford Tompkins (1943-2015), American conservationist, businessman and founder of the outdoor clothing company The North Face
Brian Tompkins, English-born, Yale Varsity Soccer coach
Daniel D Tompkins (1774-1825), American politician, 6th Vice President of the United States
Stephen Tompkins (b. 1971), American artist, animator, and composer
Fred Tompkins (b. 1943), American jazz flautist and composer
Barry Tompkins (b. 1940), American sportscaster
Calvin Tompkins, American Democratic Party politician, National Democratic Candidate for U.S. Representative from New York 10th District, 1896 13
... (Another 50 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
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
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2014, November 26) America voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1829 with 176 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/america/1829
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/captain-cook
Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 1st February 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/charles-kerr
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 4th May 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/equestrian
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The SPARTAN 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Spartan.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 21) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html