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Akers History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Sources

Akers History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Akers

What does the name Akers mean?

Akers is a name of ancient Norman origin. It arrived in England with the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Akers family lived in the county of Cumberland. This surname was a local name meaning the dweller at the acre, or the dweller at the plot of arable land.

Early Origins of the Akers family

The surname Akers was first found in the county of Cumberland, where they were descended from one of two noble houses, the Lords D'Acre, called D'Acres of the North, and Lord D'Acre of Herstmonceux, called D'Acres of the South. Both of these noble branches originally settled at Dacre in Cumberland.

Early History of the Akers family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Akers research. Another 118 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1282, 1346, 1379, 1614, 1619, 1660, 1661, 1692 and 1700 are included under the topic Early Akers History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Akers Spelling Variations

Multitudes of spelling variations are a hallmark of Anglo Norman names. Most of these names evolved in the 11th and 12th century, in the time after the Normans introduced their own Norman French language into a country where Old and Middle English had no spelling rules and the languages of the court were French and Latin. To make matters worse, medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, so names frequently appeared differently in the various documents in which they were recorded. The name was spelled Acre, Acres, Aker, Eaker, Eakers, Aiker, Aikers, Aikerson, Aker, Akers, Acker, Ackers, Ackhurst and many more.

Early Notables of the Akers family

Sir Anthony Aucher, 1st Baronet (1614-1692), an English politician from Bishopsbourne, Kent, Member of Parliament for Canterbury (1660-1661), a supporter of the Royalist cause during the English Civil...
Another 27 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Akers Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Akers Ranking

the United States, the name Akers is the 1,085^th most popular surname with an estimated 27,357 people with that name. 1

Akers migration to the United States +

Because of this political and religious unrest within English society, many people decided to immigrate to the colonies. Families left for Ireland, North America, and Australia in enormous numbers, travelling at high cost in extremely inhospitable conditions. The New World in particular was a desirable destination, but the long voyage caused many to arrive sick and starving. Those who made it, though, were welcomed by opportunities far greater than they had known at home in England. Many of these families went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Akers or a variant listed above:

Akers Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Thomas Akers, who arrived in Charlestown, Massachusetts in 1651 3
John Akers, who landed in Maryland in 1673 3
Daniel Akers, who landed in America in 1685 3
William Akers, who landed in West New Jersey in 1698 3

Akers Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Henrey Akers, aged 40, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1732 3

Akers Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Thomas Akers, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 3
Isak Akers, aged 34, who settled in America, in 1892

Akers Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

John Akers, aged 32, who landed in America from Durham, in 1902
Bert Akers, aged 23, who landed in America from Norfolk, in 1903
Charles Edmund Akers, aged 43, who settled in America from London, in 1903
Charlotte Mabel Akers, aged 29, who immigrated to the United States from London, in 1903
J.S. Akers, aged 49, who immigrated to the United States, in 1904
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Akers migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia included the Second Fleet and Third Fleet of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Second Fleet

Mr. John Akers, British settler convicted in Middlesex, England in 1789, sentenced to 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the ship "Third Fleet" leaving in 1790 arriving in New South Wales, Australia in 1791 2
Mr. William Akers, British settler convicted in Stafford, Staffordshire, England in 1788, sentenced to 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the ship "Matilda" leaving in 1790 arriving in New South Wales, Australia in 1791 3

Third Fleet

Mr. Thomas Akers, (1757 - 1824), aged 30, English settler convicted in Exeter, Devon, England on 14th March 1785, sentenced for 7 years for highway robbery, transported aboard the ship "Charlotte" leaving on 13th May 1787 arriving in New South Wales, Australia on 22nd January 1788 3

Following the Second and Third Fleets, other convicts and early settlers arriving in Australia include:

Akers Settlers in Australia in the 18th Century

Mr. Thomas Akers, (Acres), (b. 1757), aged 30, English shoe maker who was convicted in Exeter, Devon, England for 7 years for highway robbery, transported aboard the "Charlotte" on 13th May 1787, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1824 2
Thomas Akers, who arrived at Port Jackson, Australia aboard the "Charlotte" on Jan 26, 1788, as a convict with the "First Fleet"

Akers Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Joseph Akers, English convict from Middlesex, who was transported aboard the "Arab" on February 22, 1834, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 4
Mr. Hiram Akers, English convict who was convicted in Staffordshire, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "David Clarke" on 3rd June 1841, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 5
Priscilla Akers, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "The Ascendant" in 1851 6
Mr. Samuel Akers, English convict who was convicted in Ely (Isle of Ely), Cambridgeshire, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Equestrian" on 27th August 1852, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Island) 7

Akers migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Akers Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. George Akers, British settler travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Evening Star" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand in 1858 8

Contemporary Notables of the name Akers (post 1700) +

Fred Akers (1938-2020), American football head football coach at the University of Wyoming (1975–1976), the University of Texas at Austin (1977–1986), and Purdue University (1987–1990)
John Fellows Akers (1934-2014), American businessman, President of IBM (1983-1989), CEO (1985-1993) and Chairman (1986-1993)
Garfield Akers (1901-1953), American blues singer and guitarist
Charles Wesley Akers (1920-2009), American historian, author, and educator
William G. "Bill" Akers (1904-1962), American Major League Baseball infielder
Michelle Akers (b. 1966), American soccer player, member of the Womens 1996 Gold medal winning team and member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame
David Roy Akers (b. 1974), American NFL football place kicker
Thomas Dale Akers (b. 1951), former NASA astronaut with over 800 hours of space flight and over 29 hours of space walking experience 9
Thomas Peter Akers (1828-1877), American attorney, college professor, and member of the U.S. House of Representatives 1856-1857
... (Another 23 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Sources +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 4th February 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2015, January 8) Arab voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1834 with 230 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/arab/1834
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 3rd June 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/david-clarke
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The ASCENDANT 1851. Retrieved http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1851Ascendant.htm
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th May 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/equestrian
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
NASA Astronauts Homepage. (Retrieved 2010, September 27) Thomas Akers. Retrieved from http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/akers.html