Meanings
jenkins1
- pluralplural of jenkin
Jenkins2
alternative Jinkins
- A surname originating as a patronymic of Cornish and in English ("mainly of Devon") origin.
Aber's attacks were few and far between, with Amy Jenkins' speculative effort from distance, which keeper Lucy Farrell gathered, their best effort.
2026 September 6, Ioan Griffiths, Aled Williams, “Swans beat Cardiff & Wrexham start title defence with win”, in BBC Sport, archived from the original on 07 Sep 2026, retrieved 07 Sep 2026
plural Jenkinses · alternative Jinkins
- colloquialdatedderogatoryA flatterer or sycophant.
the Jenkins employed by a newspaper
2 more examples
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 […]
1868, Edward Isidore Sears, editor, The National Quarterly Review, volume 16, page 404
Origin
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.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
jenkins. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/jenkins
“jenkins.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/jenkins. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “jenkins,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/jenkins.
Source: jenkins on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.