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Heather, the closest surname I could find that has "Von" in front is the surname Von Benken, perhaps the one your grandmother mentioned. Von Benken is only found in the US seemingly and quite rare, but the surname "Benken" without the "Von" is a German surname. There are also places in Switzerland named Benken, meaning Benken is a habitational name. If what you say is true, then this surname Binskin/Benskin may have originated in Germany, as the form Benken is found in Germany, perhaps from a habitational name instead from the personal name Benne/Benedict. While doing more research, I may have found something more interesting. A variant surname I have found is the German surname Beneken. This surname Beneken is also found in the Netherlands. Both of the names Benken and Beneken are mostly found West Germany close by to the borders of the Netherlands. The Interesting part is that perhaps Benken/Beneken may be variants of the Dutch surname Binken, mostly found in the Netherlands. You said that the name originated from Europe, and I think It is most likely of Dutch origin, or perhaps Flemish. The reason why I say Flemish is because of the possibility of it being a variant of Beneden, also known as Van Beneden, a Flemish surname. Both Flanders and the Netherlands are close by to the land of Kent, and there were many Flemish and Dutch settlers that came to Kent during the Middle Ages. Van Beneden in the form of Benskin/Binskin may seem highly unlikely though, so perhaps it is of Dutch origin, from the surname Binken. To conclude, I don't think the surname Benskin/Binskin is a pet form of Benne, but perhaps a habitational name or others, being ultimately of Dutch, German, or Flemish in origin. Perhaps I'll look more into this interesting surname some time later.

This message was edited 10/12/2012, 8:08 PM