Hopkins History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Etymology of Hopkins

What does the name Hopkins mean?

The history of the name Hopkins begins with the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It is derived from the name Hobb, a pet form of the personal name Robert. This name was supplemented by the common diminutive suffix -kin. Thus, the original form of the surname Hopkins was Hobbe-kin. 1

Early Origins of the Hopkins family

The surname Hopkins was first found in Oxfordshire at Swalcliffe where a family of this name has resided since the 13th century and had nineteen proprietors who had the personal name of John. 1

However, the earliest record of the name was found in the Latin form of Hobekinus in the Curia Regis Rolls of Staffordshire in 1224. William Hobkyn and Richard Hobkyn were both listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327, while the Subsidy Rolls of Staffordshire of the same year list William Hopkyn and John Hopkynes. 2

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list Nicholas Hobekyn and Roger Hobekyn in Cambridgeshire and later the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed Agnes Hobkyn-wyf. 3

Early History of the Hopkins family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hopkins research. Another 72 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1544, 1563, 1570, 1581, 1594, 1600, 1612, 1620, 1623, 1624, 1626, 1627, 1644, 1647, 1657, 1660, 1664, 1666, 1670, 1674, 1681, 1682, 1690, 1700 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Hopkins History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hopkins Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore, spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Hopkins has been recorded under many different variations, including Hopkins, Habbagan, Hopkin, Hopkines, Hopkyns and many more.

Early Notables of the Hopkins family

Notables of this surname at this time include:

John Hopkins (d. 1570), part-translator, with Thomas Sternhold and others, of the famous metrical version of the Psalms, was admitted B.A. at Oxford in 1544. 4
Richard Hopkins (d. 1594?), was a Catholic exile, born of 'genteel parents,' and at about seventeen years of age became a commoner of St. Alban's Hall, Oxford, where he was residing in 1563. 4
Edward Hopkins (1600-1657), was an English colonist, politician, and Governor of the Connecticut Colony, founder of the New Haven and Connecticut colonies, politically active in the administration of...
William Hopkins, was a British sheriff who held the joint position of Sheriff of Nottingham, England from 1623 to 1624
Stephen Hopkins (c. 1581-1644), was a tanner and merchant who was one of the passengers on the Mayflower in 1620 and signer of the Mayflower Compact. His daughter Oceanus Hopkins (1620- c.1627) was th...
Sir Richard Hopkins (c. 1612-1682), was an English politician, Member of Parliament for Coventry in 1660
Matthew Hopkins (d. 1647), was a witchfinder, son of James Hopkins, 'minister of Wenham,' Suffolk, was a native of that county. "He is said to have been a lawyer, first at Ipswich, afterwards at Manni...

Hopkins World Ranking

In the United States, the name Hopkins is the 263^rd most popular surname with an estimated 101,967 people with that name. 5 However, in Canada, the name Hopkins is ranked the 608^th most popular surname with an estimated 8,348 people with that name. 6 And in Newfoundland, Canada, the name Hopkins is the 36^th popular surname with an estimated 128 people with that name. 7 Australia ranks Hopkins as 353^rd with 10,236 people. 8 New Zealand ranks Hopkins as 262^nd with 2,304 people. 9 The United Kingdom ranks Hopkins as 215^th with 26,825 people. 10

Migration of the Hopkins family to Ireland

Some of the Hopkins family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 182 words (13 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hopkins migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Hopkins or a variant listed above:

Hopkins Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Stephen Hopkins, who was aboard the ship "Sea Venture" who wrecked in Bermudas in 1609, they managed to build a new ship to continue to Jamestown in 1610. 11
Oceanus Hopkins, (c. 1627), who was born enroute to Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1620 aboard the "Mayflower" 11
Stephen Hopkins, (1581-1644), from Hampshire, who arrived in Plymouth, Massachusetts aboard the "Mayflower" in the year 1620
Constance Hopkins, (1606-1677), who landed in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1620 aboard the "Mayflower" 11
Damaris Hopkins, (b. 1618), who arrived in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1620 aboard the "Mayflower", died very young. 11
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Hopkins Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Rice Hopkins, who landed in Virginia in 1718 11
Lottice Hopkins, who landed in Carolina in 1724 11
Christopher Hopkins, who landed in New England in 1778 11
Francis Hopkins, who arrived in America in 1782 11
Charles Hopkins, who arrived in Virginia in 1786 11
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Hopkins Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Jenny Hopkins, who landed in America in 1805 11
Jane Hopkins, who landed in America in 1805 11
Ruth Hopkins, who landed in America in 1805 11
Abraham Hopkins, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1810 11
John Hopkins, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1811 11
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Hopkins migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Hopkins Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mary Hopkins, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1750
Elisha Hopkins, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1760
Capt. Silas Hopkins U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1784 12
Mr. Silas Hopkins Sr., U.E. who settled in Home District [York County], Ontario c. 1784 12

Hopkins Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

David M Hopkins, who landed in Canada in 1832
Walter Hopkins, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Eleanor Gordon" in 1834
Eliza Hopkins, aged 6, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Eleanor Gordon" in 1834
Miss. Ann Hopkins, aged 15 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Free Trader" departing from the port of Liverpool, England but died on Grosse Isle In August 1847 13
Mr. Anthony Hopkins, aged 30 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Sisters" departing from the port of Liverpool, England but died on Grosse Isle In July 1847 13
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Hopkins Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century

Alf Hopkins, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1907
Emily Hopkins, who landed in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1907

Hopkins migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Hopkins Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Miss Sarah Hopkins, British Convict who was convicted in Norfolk, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Earl Cornwallis" in August 1800, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 14
Mr. Patrick Hopkins, Irish convict who was convicted in Roscommon, Ireland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Atlas" on 29th November 1801, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 15
Mr. Alexander Hopkins, British convict who was convicted in Kent, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Calcutta" in February 1803, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 16
John Hopkins, English convict from Surrey, who was transported aboard the "Ann" on August 1809, settling in New South Wales, Australia 17
Mr. John Hopkins, (b. 1798), aged 17, English convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years for grand larceny, transported aboard the "Baring" in April 1815, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1853 18
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Hopkins migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Hopkins Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Frederick Hopkins, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Alfred The Great" in 1859
Eliza Marian Hopkins, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Golconda" in 1859
Mr. William Hopkins, (b. 1835), aged 25, British miner travelling from Bristol aboard the ship "Matoaka" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 2nd December 1860 19
Mrs. Sarah Ann Hopkins, (b. 1837), aged 23, British settler travelling from Bristol aboard the ship "Matoaka" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 2nd December 1860 19
John Hopkins, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Nimroud" in 1860
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Hopkins (post 1700) +

Sir Philip Anthony Hopkins CBE (b. 1937), Welsh Academy Award winning and three-time BAFTA award winning actor of film, stage, and television, and a composer and painter, made Fellow of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts in 2008
Johns Hopkins (1795-1873), wealthy American entrepreneur, philanthropist and abolitionist, eponym of Johns Hopkins Hospital, and the Johns Hopkins University
Jeffrey Hopkins (1940-2024), American Tibetologist, Emeritus Professor of Tibetan and Buddhist Studies at the University of Virginia
William Mauldin "Bo" Hopkins (1938-2022), American actor, known for his roles in American Graffiti (1973), Midnight Express (1978) and the Wild Bunch (1969)
William Joshua "Josh" Hopkins (b. 1970), American actor, known for his starring role in the ABC thriller Quantico in 2015
Larry Jones Hopkins (1933-2021), American politician, Member of the United States House of Representatives for Kentucky from 1979 to 1993, father of actor Josh Hopkins
Esther Arvilla Harrison Hopkins (1926-2021), American chemist and environmental attorney
Shirley Knight Hopkins (1936-2020), American Tony award and Golden Globe Award winning actress who appeared in more than 50 feature films
Stephen Tyng Hopkins (1849-1892), American politician, U.S. Representative from New York (1885-1886)
Elisha Gerald Hopkins (1935-2018), American journalist and author who published 37 books and over 1,000 magazine articles
... (Another 17 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Hopkins family +

HMS Repulse

Mr. James Hopkins, British Ordnance Coder, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and survived the sinking 20

RMS Lusitania

Mr. Patrick Hopkins, Irish Fireman from Castlebar, Mayo, Ireland, who worked aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking 21
Miss Alice Eliza Hopkins, American 2nd Class passenger from Boston, Massachusetts, USA, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking and was recovered 21
Miss Kate Mary Hopkins, American 2nd Class passenger from Boston, Massachusetts, USA, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking and was recovered 21
Mr. David Thomas Hopkins, Welsh 2nd Class passenger from Wales, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking 21
Mr. Albert Lloyd Hopkins, American 1st Class Passenger from New York, New York, USA, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking and was recovered 21

RMS Titanic

Mr. F. Hopkins (d. 1912), aged 16, English Plate Steward from Southampton, Hampshire who worked aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking 22
Mr. Robert John Hopkins, aged 40, English Able Seaman from Southampton, Hampshire who worked aboard the RMS Titanic and survived the sinking escaping on life boat 13 22

Senghenydd colliery

Mr. Joseph Hopkins (b. 1878), Welsh coal miner from Senghenydd, Caerphilly, Wales who was working at the Senghenydd colliery when there was an explosion on the 14th October 1913; he died 23

USS Arizona

Mr. Homer David Hopkins, American Seaman First Class from Michigan, USA working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he died in the sinking 24

The Hopkins Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Inter primos
Motto Translation: Among the first

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Surnames Meanings, Origins & Distribution Maps - Forebears." Forebears, https://forebears.io/surnames
The order of Common Surnames in 1955 in Newfoundland retrieved on 20th October 2021 (retrieved from Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland by E.R. Seary corrected edition ISBN 0-7735-1782-0)
"Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
"Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
"UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 34)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 13th August 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-cornwallis
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th July 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/atlas
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/calcutta
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Ann voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1809 with 200 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/ann/1809
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/baring
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html
Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 6) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/
Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html
Universal Colliery Senghenydd 1913 disaster retrieved 21st September 2019, retrieved from http://www.welshcoalmines.co.uk/deathrolls/SenghenyddDead1913.htm
Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html