Atkins
/ˈæt.kɪnz/noun
A surname and brand name derived from a medieval diminutive of the personal name Adam.
Did you know?Atkins is a patronymic surname: the -s ending originally meant “son of,” while the core name goes back through medieval pet forms of Adam, itself from Hebrew tradition.
Etymological Timeline
Biblical/Hebrew
Hebrew
אָדָם (ʾādām)
““man,” “human being,” and in tradition the name Adam”
Ancient Greek
Greek
Ἀδάμ (Adám)
“Adam, the biblical first man”
Latin
Latin
Adam
“Adam, as transmitted through biblical Latin”
Middle English
English
Atkin
“A diminutive of Adam, used as a personal name”
Middle English
English
Atkins
““son of Atkin,” a hereditary surname”