Botkin

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A family name of Russian origin used as a surname
2. An inherited last name typically of Russian cultural or linguistic background
3. A proper name identifying individuals, historically linked to Russian heritage

Etymology: Botkin is a variant spelling of "bodkin," and its history starts with a small blade. Middle English speakers used "boydekin" for a dagger. The word joins an unexplained base, "boyde" or "boide," to the diminutive ending "-kin," so the name suggests a little dagger. Scots kept the word in forms such as "botkin," "boitkin" and "boikin," and the spelling "botkin" comes from that Scottish tradition. The base itself has no secure origin. It may be Celtic, but that remains uncertain.