The Wilkins surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 58,634 people carried this name — #570 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 5,030 people counted. That is up 5% from 56,068 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Wilkins surname

An English surname from Middle English.

In most cases, the surname derives from the Middle English Wilkin, from Will, diminutive of William, + -kin (“small”). However, in the case of a formidable number of those that bear the surname 'Wilkins', the name derives from an earlier form Welsh Wilkyn, itself from Middle English Wylcolyna or Witcoline, from Latin Wintona, compare Winton.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Wilkins» (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

Bardsley classes it as a baptismal name, from a given name: ‘the son of William’.

An early record he cites: Thomas Wylkynson, 1379 — Poll Tax, West Riding of Yorkshire.

His entry covers Wilkin, Wilkins and Wilkinson.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 814 · public domain.

In Switzerland’s population statistics

44 people named Wilkins live in Switzerland.

They live in 5 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Zurich.

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

Where they live today

Zurich 12
Geneva 11
Vaud 10
Graubünden 6
Basel-Stadt 5

Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.

In Argentina’s national register

At least 37 people named Wilkins 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
City of Buenos Aires 13

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

In the Nordic population registers

26 people named Wilkins is counted in Sweden.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 26

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).

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Wilkins was found among the farmers of 4 counties.

It was most frequent in Somerset: 13 in every 10,000 farmers there — about 1 in 769. 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.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Somerset 13
Wiltshire 12
Norfolk 11
Berkshire 10

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

Wilkins was recorded 11 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 1788th most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 14. 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

205 families named Wilkins, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 1,115 people lived in those households, 5.4 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 5 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 46
New Hampshire 32
North Carolina 31
Massachusetts 29
Pennsylvania 28
New York 19
Maryland 7
South Carolina 7
Vermont 5
Maine 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. 268 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Wilkins in American newspapers,
1897–1908.

Newspaper page from The Valentine Democrat carrying the name Wilkins
The Valentine Democrat 1897-06-24
Newspaper page from The Birmingham Age-herald carrying the name Wilkins
The Birmingham Age-herald 1908-02-23
Newspaper page from Canton Weekly Register carrying the name Wilkins
Canton Weekly Register 1906-11-08

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 239,521 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Wilkins in Australian newspapers,
1820s–2000s.

76,087 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Wilkins. The most, 12,575, 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 1.7 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 26,178
Victoria 20,516
Tasmania 7,993
Queensland 7,307
South Australia 7,067
Western Australia 6,615
ACT (Canberra) 250
Northern Territory 46

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

Who carried it

People named Wilkins,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Harry E Wilkins d. 1941
  • Oliver William Wilkins d. 1999
  • Sophia Wilkins d. 1817
  • Emily Fraser Wilkins d. 1914
  • Julia Elizabeth Wilkins d. 2011
  • Eliza Wilkins d. 1587

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

In the public record

People named Wilkins,
in the records of 9 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 States4,674 records

4,674 records of the Wilkins name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 1,874
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 944
  • Other U.S. records 1,856
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Ben Henry Wilkins

    Born 1947; from Louisville, Kentucky. U.S. Army, food service specialist; killed in action 1969 in Quang Ngai, South Vietnam. Buried at Zachary Taylor National Cemetery, Kentucky.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (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 Robert F. Wilkins

    Born 1916 in New York. Enlisted 1942 at New York City; bank clerk. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 2001, buried at BG William C Doyle Veterans Memorial Cemetery, Wrightstown, New Jersey.

    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 Martha Wilkins

    Arrived at New York in 1892 aboard the Teutonic from Liverpool, aged 29; helper. From London, England; bound for New York.

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

Showing 3 of 4,674 records for Wilkins 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) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · City of Asheville (public domain, PDDL) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · New York State, Open NY (police and firefighter memorial rolls). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia2,384 records

2,384 records of the Wilkins name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 1,057
  • Tasmanian Names Index 693
  • Other Australian records 634
  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 George Wilkins

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Thames, sailing from London in 1829. Native of Woolwich, Kent. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1839. Married 1839 in Launceston, Tasmania, aged 30.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. 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 William Wilkins

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Garland Grove in 1846. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1851. Married 1851 in Hobart, Tasmania.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Stephen Wilkins

    Died 1863 in Launceston, Tasmania, aged 62. Will registered in Tasmania in 1863.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 2,384 records for Wilkins 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) · City of Ballarat, Avenue of Honour Plaques (CC BY 3.0 AU). 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).

Canada434 records

434 records of the Wilkins name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 318
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 30
  • Other Canadian records 86
  1. The first page of an emigration file from Gündlingen, Baden, 1883
    Example: German emigration file, 1883
    Emigration record George Wilkins

    Left New York in 1783 aboard the Nesbitt, bound for Port Matton, aged 53.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record John Wilkins

    Came to Ontario in 1873 aboard the Sarmatian, bound for St Catharines, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Barbara Lvonne Wilkins

    Buried in 1980 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 59.

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

Showing 3 of 434 records for Wilkins in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · Contains information provided by the City of Waterloo under licence · 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: Emigration file, Gündlingen, 1883, Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg, Staatsarchiv Freiburg B 694/1 Nr. 1389 (CC BY 4.0); 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).

United Kingdom124 records

124 records of the Wilkins name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 87
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 25
  • Welsh wills index cards 12
  1. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Margaret Catherine Wilkins

    Will proved in 1910; of Carnarvon, Carnarvon.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record John Wilkins

    Buried in 1853 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 74.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record H. Wilkins

    London Regiment. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 3 of 124 records for Wilkins 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). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

New Zealand85 records

85 records of the Wilkins name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 57
  • Marlborough District cemetery records 19
  • Other New Zealand records 9
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Emily Jane Wilkins

    Died 1937, aged 68; buried at Bromley 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 Wilkins

    Died 1921, aged 87; buried at Tuamarina Cemetery, Marlborough.

    Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record William Thomas Wilkins

    Buried in 1982 at Totara Memorial Park Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 76.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 85 records for Wilkins in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Waimakariri 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).

Netherlands5 records

5 records of the Wilkins name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch population registers 3
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 1
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 1
  1. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Charles Jean Wilkins

    In the population register of Aalst; captain, born 1821 in Luik (B).

    Open Archives, Regionaal Historisch Centrum Eindhoven (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Arthur Edward Wilkins

    Married in 1946 in Nijmegen.

    Open Archives, Gelders Archief (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 2 of 5 records for Wilkins in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

France4 records

4 records of the Wilkins 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 David John Wilkins

    Born 1939 in Coventry (Angleterre); died 2000 in Montpellier (Hérault).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Henri Charls Louis Wilkins

    Born 1912 in Puteaux (Paris); died 1986 in Vénézuéla.

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 2 of 4 records for Wilkins 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).

Belgium1 record

1 record of the Wilkins name in Belgium Belgian church registers before 1811
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Civil record Joannes Petrus Wilkins

    Baptised in 1790.

    Open Archives, Stad Lommel - Archiefdienst (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Norway1 record

1 record of the Wilkins name in Norway Norway's 1910 census
  1. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Census record Karen Wilkins

    Census of 1910: Sporveisgate, Kristiania; "legat", born 1824 in Tromsø.

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

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).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Wilkins.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Wilkins 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.

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