This is a variant patronymic surname which derives originally from the Olde German "Volk" now more commonly found as "Folk". The modern surname consists of the elements "Volk" which in this context was originally a pre 10th Century personal name meaning "The People" plus the medieval suffix "kin" - "the son" or possibly "Little Volk". The further additive "s" may be purely a dialectual form or more probably implies a further diminutive to give "The son of the son of Vo(l)k". The name was recorded heraldically in France as "Volkein of Valaise" and this may imply a Huguenot background for the "English" name. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of John Vokins, which was dated 1629, christened on the 17th of May at St. Katherine by the Tower, London, during the reign of King Charles I, "The Martyr", 1625 - 1649. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.