ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 3234
http://www.s-gabriel.org/3234
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12 Dec 2006
From: Aryanhwy merch Catmael 

Greetings from the Academy of S. Gabriel!

You wanted to know what form of the name <John Wilkins> is an
authentic for a 12th or 13th century Englishman.  Here is what we have
found.

>From the 12th century on, <John> became increasingly popular in
England, until in the latter half of the 16th century, 15% of all men
in England were baptized <John>. [1]  It is therefore a fine choice
for your period.

During your period, one of the most common types of bynames is the
patronymic, in which the father's given name is used as a byname.  The
surname <Wilkins> is one of these types.  It is derived from <Wilkin>,
a nickname of <William>.  The nickname <Wilkin> shows up from the
middle of the twelfth century onwards: We find <Wilechin> in 1166 and
<Willekin> in 1196, as well as the Latinized form <Wilekinus> in 1191
and 1207.  Two thirteenth century men, <William de Ros> 1201 and
<William Chubbe> 1230, are also recorded as <Wilekin>. [2,5]  This
nickname was used as a patronymic byname; <Richard Wilekin> and
<William Wilekin>, recorded in 1180 and 1220 were probably both sons
of men called <William> or <Wilekin>. [2]

The form <Wilkins> is a possessive form of these nicknames. [3]  This
possessive construction was rare during your period; it wasn't until
the 14th century that it became common.  We have a few early examples
of the construction, e.g. <Margaret Robines>, <Robert Dobes>, and
<Agnes Hobbis> all in 1279 [4], but the earliest we find a form of
<Wilkins> is in 1327, where it is spelled <Wylkyns>. [2]  For your 
period, we therefore recommend that you use one of the spellings without 
a final <s>.  For example, <Wilekin> is a typical spelling for both the 
12th and 13th centuries.

We hope that this letter has been useful to you and that you won't
hesitate to write us again if any part was unclear or if you have
further questions.  Research and commentary on this letter was
provided by Maridonna Benvenuti, Talan Gwynek, Eleyne de Comnocke,
Arval Benicoeur, and Margaret Makafee.

For the Academy,
-Aryanhwy merch Catmael, 12 December 2006

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References:

[1] Withycombe, E.G., _The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian
Names_, 3rd ed. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988), s.n. John

[2] Reaney, P. H., & R. M. Wilson, _A Dictionary of English Surnames_
(London: Routledge, 1991; Oxford University Press, 1995), s.n. Wilkin

[3] Like the change from <John> to <John's> in English.

[4] Reaney & Wilson, op. cit., s.nn. Dobb, Hob, Robins

[5] Bardsley, Charles, _A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames_
(Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1980), s.n. Wilkin