The Atkins surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 51,671 people carried this name — #662 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 5,710 people counted. That is up 4% from 49,754 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Atkins surname

A surname transferred from the given name meaning "son of Atkin (Adam)".

From Atkin + -s.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Atkins» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

As an English and Welsh surname

An early record he cites: William Adekyn, Somerset, 1327–28 (1 Edward III) — Kirby's Quest (Somerset).

His entry covers Adkin, Adkins, Adkinson, Atkin, Atkins, Atkinson, Atkyns and Adkisson.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 40 · public domain.

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 6 births for the Atkins name in 1890.

They were registered in all four provinces, most of all in Munster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 300 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. The Registrar-General’s note on the name: “Cork.”

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born, 1890

Munster 3
Connacht 1
Leinster 1
Ulster 1

Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.

In Argentina’s national register

At least 24 people named Atkins live in Argentina.

RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Buenos Aires Province 24

RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 23 people named Atkins.

Most of them — 22 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 1 département, most often Bouches-du-Rhône.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born

Born outside France 22
Bouches-du-Rhône 1

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

In the Nordic population registers

50 people named Atkins are counted in Finland and Sweden.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published. Finland counts its citizens, at home or abroad.

Counted, by country

Finland (2026) 28
Sweden (2022) 22

Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown) · Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV), Finland, surname statistics, August 2026 — CC BY 4.0.

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Atkins was found among the farmers of 11 counties.

It was most frequent in Oxfordshire: 28 in every 10,000 farmers there — about 1 in 357. Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent. His list gives one count for the spellings Atkins and Adkins.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Oxfordshire 28
Northamptonshire 25
Staffordshire 22
Warwickshire 20
Leicestershire and Rutland 17
Lincolnshire 17
Nottinghamshire 12
Norfolk 11

And 3 more counties.

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In Scotland’s registers today

Atkins was recorded 12 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 1665th most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 15. Each birth counts the child’s surname, each marriage both partners’ and each death the surname of the person who died — a yearly count of registrations, not of the people who live in Scotland.

National Records of Scotland, «Most Common Surnames, 2025» (published 26 May 2026): every surname recorded 10 or more times in the 2025 registers, and the series from 1975 · different spellings are counted separately — © Crown copyright 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

225 families named Atkins, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 1,261 people lived in those households, 5.6 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 8 other spellings. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Virginia 49
Massachusetts 41
North Carolina 33
Connecticut 30
South Carolina 19
Maryland 12
New York 11
New Hampshire 10
Pennsylvania 10
Maine 7
Vermont 2
Rhode Island 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 227 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Atkins in American newspapers,
1896–1925.

Newspaper page from Southern Christian Advocate carrying the name Atkins
Southern Christian Advocate 1925-01-22
Newspaper page from Evening Star carrying the name Atkins
Evening Star 1896-03-27
Newspaper page from Evening Star carrying the name Atkins
Evening Star 1899-03-30

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 261,222 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Atkins in Australian newspapers,
1810s–2010s.

86,073 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Atkins. The most, 15,002, date from the 1930s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in Tasmania, at 2.4 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 31,454
Victoria 15,296
Tasmania 13,481
Western Australia 9,771
Queensland 8,925
South Australia 6,553
ACT (Canberra) 435
Northern Territory 25

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Atkins.

Who carried it

People named Atkins,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Thomas Atkins d. 1668 · politician
  • Marie Atkins d. 2008 · politician
  • Noble Atkins d. 1985 · American football player
  • John Pelly Atkins d. 1872 · merchant
  • Charles Atkins d. 1849 · naval officer
  • Frederick Atkins d. 2005

Wikidata (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Atkins,
in the records of 8 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States4,169 records

4,169 records of the Atkins name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 1,698
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 757
  • Other U.S. records 1,714
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Marvin O. Atkins

    Born 1920 in North Carolina. Enlisted 1942 at Camp Croft, South Carolina; textile mill worker. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1996, buried at Holly Hill Memorial Park, North Carolina.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Harold A. Atkins

    Born 1912 in New York. Enlisted 1942 at Fort Jay Governors Island; construction worker. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1984, buried at Calverton National Cemetery, New York.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Jenny Atkins

    Arrived at New York in 1892 aboard the City of Paris from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 21; dressmaker. From England; bound for New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 4,169 records for Atkins in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · City of Asheville (public domain, PDDL). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia2,922 records

2,922 records of the Atkins name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 1,145
  • Tasmanian Names Index 913
  • Other Australian records 864
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record John Atkins

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Phoenix, sailing from England in 1824. Native of Manchester, Lancashire. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1835.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Leonard Edward Atkins

    Died 1928 in Bowerbank, Deloraine, Tasmania. Will registered in Tasmania in 1929.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Lucy Rosetta Atkins

    Born 1874 in Clarence, Tasmania. Married 1899 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 24.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 2,922 records for Atkins in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

Canada606 records

606 records of the Atkins name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 463
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 67
  • Other Canadian records 76
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Jas Atkins

    Came to Ontario in 1875 aboard the Peruvian, landing at Portland, bound for Guelph, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Ida Margaret Atkins

    Buried in 1970 at Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, Nova Scotia, aged 79.

    Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Stephen Gatcliff Atkins

    Buried in 1979 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 65.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.

Showing 3 of 606 records for Atkins in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0).

Netherlands111 records

111 records of the Atkins name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch population registers 55
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 46
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 10
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Maria Anna Atkins

    Married in 1857 in Kralingen. Died 1925 in Rotterdam, aged 92.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Willem Christiaan Atkins

    Born 1906 in Rotterdam. Married in 1939 in Rijswijk.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0); Open Archives, Archief Delft (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Hendrik Alexander Atkins

    Born 1861 in Rotterdam. Married in 1901 in Rotterdam. Died 1957 in Voorburg, aged 96.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0); Open Archives, Haags Gemeentearchief (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 111 records for Atkins in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

United Kingdom106 records

106 records of the Atkins name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 71
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 24
  • Other British records 11
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record Eileen Mary Atkins

    Born 1889 at Aberdeen. Served in the First World War. Named in the University of Aberdeen roll of service in the Great War, 1914-1919.

    National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Margaret Ogilvie Hepburn Atkins

    Died 2001, aged 77; buried at Bannockburn Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record George Atkins

    Buried in 1836 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 44.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Showing 3 of 106 records for Atkins in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0) · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0); Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

New Zealand18 records

18 records of the Atkins name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 14
  • Waimakariri District cemetery records, Canterbury 2
  • Other New Zealand records 2
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record John Atkins

    Died 1891, aged 65; buried at Addington Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record George Atkins

    Buried in 1891 at Tararu Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 61.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 2 of 18 records for Atkins in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Norway5 records

5 records of the Atkins name in Norway Norway's 1910 census
  1. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Census record Georg T. Atkins

    Census of 1910: Theresesgate, Kristiania; "sproglærer", born 1876 in England.

    Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO)
  2. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Census record Dorothy A. M. Atkins

    Census of 1910: Theresesgate, Kristiania; born 1904 in Hamburg.

    Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO)

Showing 2 of 5 records for Atkins in Norway.

Counts: Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

France3 records

3 records of the Atkins name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Elbert William Atkins

    Born 1915 in the United States; died 1990 in Saint-Martin (Guadeloupe).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 1 of 3 records for Atkins in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Other spellings of this name

The same name, spelled another way.

Spellings that H. B. Guppy (England and Wales, 1890) or the Registrar-General for Ireland (births index of 1890) counted as one name together with Atkins.

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Atkins.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Atkins is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

See the Atkins volume
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