jenkins
/ˈd͡ʒɛŋkɪnz/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.84 in modern English
18
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
name
A surname originating as a patronymic of Cornish and in English ("mainly of Devon") origin.
Example Sentences
- "the Jenkins employed by a newspaper"
- "October 1869, George William Curtis, Civil-Service Reform rouse the country for Jones and Justice or Jenkins and the Rights of Man"
- "Because they are styled "the executive," "executive officers," &c., by their Jenkinses, and are declared by the same authorities to possess unbounded knowledge, and transcendent "executive ability," they sometimes fancy themselves the Czar, the Shah, or the Grand Turk […]"
Etymology
A patronymic surname that is derived from the male given name John + -kin (which forms diminutive )+ -s (denoting "son of") hence meaning "son of little John". It was originally an offshoot of the male medieval name Jenkin/Jankin. The name was brought from the crusaders; it originated in Cornwall but became popular in England and Wales.