Find out how popular the last name Adkins is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Adkins.

Adkins, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Adkins surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Adkins in America

Adkins is the 449th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Adkins surname appeared 73,599 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 25 people would have the surname Adkins.

We can also compare 2010 data for Adkins to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Adkins

The surname Adkins is of English origin and dates back to the late 12th century. It is an patronymic surname derived from the personal name Adam, which means "son of Adam." The name Adam comes from the Hebrew word "adamah," meaning "earth" or "red clay."

Adkins is a variant spelling of the surname Atkins, which was more common in the early medieval period. The earliest recorded instances of the Adkins surname can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1275, where it appears as "Adekyn."

In the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1279, the name is recorded as "Adekyn de Bradewelle," indicating that the bearer was from the village of Bradwell. The Adkins surname was particularly prevalent in the counties of Worcestershire, Oxfordshire, and Gloucestershire during the Middle Ages.

One of the earliest known individuals with the Adkins surname was John Adkins, who was born around 1490 in Fyfield, Wiltshire. He was a prominent landowner and served as a Justice of the Peace in the county.

Another notable figure was Sir Robert Adkins (1585-1665), a wealthy merchant and politician who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1647. He was a staunch Royalist during the English Civil War and was knighted by King Charles I in 1641.

In the 17th century, the Adkins family established themselves in the American colonies. Thomas Adkins (1610-1678) was one of the first settlers in Virginia, arriving in the colony around 1635. He became a prosperous planter and landowner in York County.

During the Revolutionary War, Captain John Adkins (1733-1809) fought in the Virginia militia and participated in several battles against the British forces. He later received a land grant for his military service.

Another notable figure was Sarah Adkins (1829-1910), a pioneering educator and social activist from Ohio. She founded several schools for African American children and worked tirelessly to promote equal education opportunities during the post-Civil War era.

Throughout history, the Adkins surname has also been associated with various place names, such as Adkins Green in Buckinghamshire and Adkins Farm in Gloucestershire, reflecting the family's roots and influence in these regions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Adkins

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Adkins.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Adkins was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Adkins has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Adkins was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Adkins, please contact us.

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