The English surname PERKINS is patronymic in origin, being one of those names derived from the first name of a father. In this case, the surname is composed of two elements: "Per", which is a contracted form of PETER and the diminutive suffix "-Kin". Hence, the literal meaning of this surname is "LITTLE PETER". The "-s" ending usually denotes "son of", thus PERKINS would originally have identified the bearer as a "son of Peter". Parkin and Perkinson are other variants of the name. This custom of naming appears to have commenced in the Middle Ages, when it was the practice for sons to take their surnames from the Christian name of their fathers. Early instances of the surname include one Edmund Perkyn, whose name was recorded in the Subsidy Rolls for Suffolk in 1327, and a Walter Perkyns, who lived in Worrestershire in 1327 (Subsidy Rolls). More recent records reveal that this is the surname of some notable English families (Kelly's Handbook to the Titled,Landed and Official Classes) . The name is most numerous in the south of England, the south Midlands and South Wales. Notable bearers of the surname include the English theologian William Perkins (1558-1602) and, more recently, the American editor Maxwell Evarts Perkins (1884-1947).