Given name & surname
Jenkins
“little John; son of John”
Jenkins is a variant of Jenkin. One interpretation is “little John; son of John.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Jenkins is a variant of Jenkin. One interpretation is “little John; son of John.”
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1890. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Jenkins through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 238
- 238 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1923
- 11 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for boys is 5 in 2021. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for boys was 11 in 1923. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 413 as a first name in 2020; 213,644 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Jenkins’s family of names
Jenkins has a related form in Jenkin. In English usage, Jenkins as a surname has a related form in JINKINS.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 2
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Similar names
If you love Jenkins, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Johnie
85% boys · 15% girls
Elwyn
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81% boys · 19% girls
Enos
“mankind” · “a man”
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Jess
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80% boys · 20% girls
Elson
“from the nobleman's town”
>99% boys
Elwin
“a friend of the elves”
>99% boys
Clovis
“a renowned warrior”
>99% boys
Norris
“a man from the north”
>99% boys