Where does “Wilkinson” come from?
Wilkinson is an English patronymic surname derived from Middle English Wilkin, itself from English Will, a diminutive of Middle English William, which traces through Old English -cian and Old English cynn to Proto-Germanic kunją and ultimately Proto-Indo-European ǵenh₁-, meaning "to beget" or "produce."
Ancestry of “Wilkinson”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Wilkin | — |
| 2 | Middle English | Wilkin | — |
| 3 | Middle English | Will | — |
| 4 | Middle English | William | — |
| 5 | Anglo-Norman | Willame | — |
| 6 | Old High German | Willahelm | William |
| 7 | Old High German | helm | helmet |
| 8 | Proto-West Germanic | helm | helmet |
| 9 | Proto-Germanic | helmaz | helmet |
| 10 | Proto-Germanic | halmaz | halm; stem; stalk; straw; hay |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱolh₂mos | stalk |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱelh₂- | to pierce, strike; to stick; prick; stab |