Last name: Hopkins

Recorded as Hopkin, Hopkins, Hopkinson, and since the 17th century much associated with Wales, this is an English patronymic derivative of the original pre 5th century Germanic warrior name Hrod-berht, translating as ‘renowned-fame’. ‘Borrowed’ by the French around the time of the Emperor Charlemagne in the 8th century, its spelling was slightly changed to Robert and became equally popular. In that spelling that it was introduced into England, Scotland and ultimately Wales, after the famous Norman Conquest of 1066. Over the next four hundred years Robert, perhaps as a result of its interesting meaning was so popular that it developed a wide range of surname variations, many not obviously connected with Robert - including this one. These variants now recorded as surnames in the own right include such short forms as Dob(b), Hob(b), Hop, Nob(b) and the most direct Rob, Robb, Robin, Robbins, and Robinson. Not surprisingly with such a pedigree, Hopkins is one of the earliest recorded surnames with examples in English records such as Nicholas Hobekyn of the county of Cambridge in the Hundred Rolls of England in 1273, Rychard Hobbekynessone in the Putname rolls of Cheshire in 1354, and Walter Hopkin of Warton, in the wills record of Lancaster in 1563. Surnames were much later in Wales than the rest of the British Isles, and when first recorded and given due allowance for both a change of language as well as dialect and (indifferent) spelling, it was as ab Popkyn, or the son of Hopkin. An early Welsh example was Johannis ab Popkyn in the rolls of the county of Monmouth in 1610. Over the centuries there were several coats of arms granted to name holders. The first was probably Hopkinson of Alford, Lincolnshire, in the time of Queen Elizabeth 1st (1558 – 1603) although the most unusual - is to Hopkins of Maryland, in the American colony of that name, in the year 1764. This was about ten years before official US independence. The basic blazon has a black shield, a gold chevron in chief between two pistols, and a silver medal inscribed with the head of Louis XV, the king of France. This suggests the family were much involved in the defeat of the French during the Seven Year Wars of around that time.

Visitor Comments

meg
i am one of the maryland hopkins... its cool to know my name has such a long history

linda starr
my mom dad name was bryant glenn hopkins, i was born in virigina, i am not sure where he was born

Sheryl Bryant
Hi , my mom's father's name was Edward Topping also from VA and my mom's mother's name is Hopkins, from N.C. Funny that my name (and my father's as I've resumed my maiden name) is Bryant and my grandfather Bryant's family was said to have been from VA. Are we related

Robert Hopkinson
My name is Robert Hopkinson! Interesting to find out my first name is a parody of my surname Thanks

Tricia Hopkins
We are one of the Maryland Hopkins.......awesome!

David Hankey
My grandmother on my father's side was a Hopkins. The family can be traced back to 1800 in Banbury, Oxfordshire before this branch moved to Birmingham

Jonathan Hopkins
David - I'm Jonathan Hopkins, Father is Peter Hopkins. Grandmother lived in Birmingham. Have we met?

David
Peter, with apologies for not replying earlier. My grandmother's name was Florence the only child of Arthur Dan Hopkins and Sarah Catherine (nee Partridge). I haven't found a Peter yet who is related. I don't think we've met, have we? Regards, David

Terence (terry) hopkins
Hi David my name is terry hopkins and my family come from Banbury in oxfordshire we have been in this area for hundreds of years im just wondewring if we are related in some way

David
Terry, with apologies for not replying sooner. My great grandfather, Arthur Dan Hopkins was born in 1859. He was one of 7 children. His parents Joshua Hopkins and Anne Abbotts lived in the Neithrop area of Banbury. The family looked to have moved to Birmingham after Joshua's death in 1869. Perhaps we do have a connection. Regards, David

John Hopkins
I am John Hopkins of Johannesburg, South Africa. Apparently our branch emigrated in 1857 from somewhere on Kent, England to South Africa.

mary hopkins
hi my fathers name was stephen hopkins and had 16 brothers and sisters including a brother named john they came to england from ireland in the 1940s

Miss Denise Hopkins
Hi John, yes, my great great grandfather also apparently came from Kent in the 1800's. My great great grandfather was George Thomas who son was Robert John. Do you know the names of your great grandparents? I am in Cape Town where most of the family settled. Regards,

John Hopkins
Hi Denise, my dad, John Bertram Harry Hopkins (known as Bert) was born in 1908 and raised in Cape Town. He had a brother Reginald, who was married to a Suzanne, and they had two daughters (probably now in their 50's), Alison and Ingrid. My dad grew up in Seapoint and my cousins mentioned above grew up in Camps Bay. Ingrid joined the navy as far as I know. I havent spoken to them in years but would love to track them down. My grandparents were John Thomas Hopkins and he married Alice Saby (she came to SA in the 1890's). My great grandfather was either John Jacob or John Joseph ?

Jock Mackay
For the record, the Norman Conquest was of England. The Normans did not conquer Scotland. Another thing: the adoption of the surmame in Welsh involved solely a change of language, not of dialect.

John Hopkins
Hi Jock, well said! So does the name Hopkins have Scottish ancestry? If so, under which clan do they fall and what tartans can they wear? I have seen a Hopkins of Wales tartan. My email address is johnbl.hopkins@gmail.com I am a member of a South African infantry regiment, The Transvaal Scottish Regiment, who were formed after the Boer War, and consisted mainly of Scottish conscripts who came to South Africa for the gold mining at the end of the 1800's. They are affiliated to the Atholl Highlanders and Black Watch, and wear the Murray of Atholl tartan, and the red hackle of the Black Watch. Anyway, I am interested in any Hopkins Scottish connections.

edward mathews
stephen hopkins was my 12th great grand pa . i am extreamly proud of him .

Robert Hopkins
I live in Canada. My Grandfather was Ivor Benjamin Trahern Hopkins. (not sure if I spelled Trahern right) He grew up in Bridgend, Glamorgan, Wales. He fought in WW1, joining the military at 16 having lied about his age. He fought with the camel corps in I believe Egypt. He was wounded helping a fellow soldier unjam his rifle because he'd lubricated it with oil instead of graphite, contrary to the orders they'd been given pertaining to weapon maintenance in a battlefield made primarily of sand dunes. Grandpa moved to Saskatchewan, Canada and eventually settled in Lacombe, Alberta. His wife, Margaret Owen, was one of the Patagonia Welsh. In WW2 he trained troops in Saskatchewan.

lynn harris
how interesting ,re bridgend wales,my fathers paternal side is from bridgend ,only he had two names surnames r.o. bendle - hopkins of which ive been trying to trace where it came from,i am in nottm england,cannot find it further back than the grandfather ,was only used for one son.

Denise Hopkins
Hi John, sorry I only picked up your message now, don't think I know your side of the family but need to investigate my great, great grandfather's side a bit. Yes, a lot of my family grew up in Sea Point (including myself) and Camps Bay (but then there weren't a lot of suburbs in those days! There is a war memorial in Camps Bay with a Hopkins listed as a deceased, will have to go and look at the name again. Will keep in touch if I get more info, recently attended a lecture given by a dude from the National Archives, u will actually find that a lot of the research has been done for you and the Genealogical Society in Stellenbosch has reams of stuff as well.

Graham Hopkins
A great many Hopkins' came from North West Northamptonshire, centred on a village named Crick. I am descended from them and have currently traced my ancestors , all of them from there, back to the seventeenth centuryi

Bleddyn Hopkins
My name is Bleddyn Hopkins. I have 6 generations all living in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales and prior to that living in Llansannor near Cowbridge.

Daniel Hopkins
Bleddyn, My ancestors were from Aberdare, before immigrating to the United States in the 1850's. Evan Hopkins and his wife Jennette nee Thomas. There is actually a sizeable Welsh expatriot and descendant community in Chicago.

Diann R Thoms
My maiden name was Diann Ruth Hopkins. Father John George Hopkins. Mothers name Evangeline Irene merry. I was born in Chautauqua country 8/16/1951. Anyone out there related? There are eight of us in my dad's kids

G. Dean Hopkins
Looking to see if anyone has a information on Nathanial Hopkins who married Elizabeth Duer and are the Parents of John Duer Hopkins born Nov 8th ,1807

Jim (James) Hopkins
Hello all you Hopkins people and friends, I think you will find that the Hopkins Family, (who were in fact Anglo-Saxons), actually held Family Seats in Cambridgeshire well before the Norman invasion and Conquest. They are among the first to hold a recognised surname in what is now called England. Early records only started being kept with regard to surnames in general in the 11th Century and the hopkins family were in the area before that. After the Norman Conquest many Anglo Saxons migrated or fled (escaped is true as well) to Wales, Ireland and Scotland, in fact the people who were called The Scots were those same Anglo Saxons. I say The Scots to dfferentiate them from the Picts and Celts. Even to this day some broad scots words are similar to the Anglo Saxons, who themselves came from Germany.

Justin Hopkins
I was wondering is there a online Hopkins family tree that ties all of the Hopkins in the US to one Origin . If anyone could shoot me a email of a link it would be nice to know specifics. Jhop354@gmail.com. I have tried google searching it but seem to run into a lot of dead ends.

David Hankey
Hi, Justin, I've just done a 'Google' search for 'One Name Study' and there is a study and research being done by one of the members of The Guild of One Name Studies. Contact details listed are:- Marion Harper Hopkins whose email address is:- hopkins@one-name.org Best of luck, David