Larkin is an uncommon given name of American origin, derived from the surname which is of Irish and Scottish descent. It is believed to have originated as a habitational name from places called Larkin in County Tyrone, Ireland, and in Scotland, or as a nickname for someone who played the lark, an Old English musical instrument resembling the modern recorder. The name has also been associated with poets Philip Larkin (1922-1985), an influential British poet known for his work on the Second World War, and Sean O'Larkin, an Irish poet from the 16th century.
The name Larkin experienced a significant boom in popularity from the late 1970s to the early 2000s, with peak years being 1987 (18 births), 1988 and 1989 (both 16 births), and 2001 (30 births). However, there was a substantial drop in popularity from 2006 onwards, with the highest number of births in this period being 97 in 2018. Overall, between 1959 and 2023, there were a total of 1932 births named Larkin.