Show ContentsAcres History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Acres is one of the many names that the Normans brought with them when they conquered England in 1066. The Acres 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 Acres family

The surname Acres 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 Acres family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Acres 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 Acres History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Acres Spelling Variations

Before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Sound was what guided spelling in the Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Acres family name include Acre, Acres, Aker, Eaker, Eakers, Aiker, Aikers, Aikerson, Aker, Akers, Acker, Ackers, Ackhurst and many more.

Early Notables of the Acres family

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

Acres Ranking

In the United States, the name Acres is the 18,839th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1


United States Acres migration to the United States +

To escape the political and religious chaos of this era, thousands of English families began to migrate to the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. The passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe; however, those who made the voyage safely were encountered opportunities that were not available to them in their homeland. Many of the families that reached the New World at this time went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of the United States and Canada. Research into various historical records has revealed some of first members of the Acres family to immigrate North America:

Acres Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • John Acres, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1656 2
  • John Acres, who landed in Maryland in 1672 2
  • Henry Acres (sometimes Ackers) who settled in Newbury Massachusetts in 1674, and married Hannah Silver
  • Henry Acres, who arrived in Massachusetts in 1674
  • Ellin Acres, who arrived in Pennsylvania, Virginia or Maryland in 1699
Acres Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Aaron Acres, who settled in Virginia in 1772
Acres Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Elizabeth Acres, who settled in New York in 1832

Canada Acres migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Acres Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Esther Acres, who settled in Ontario in 1871

Australia Acres migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Acres Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. William Acres, (b. 1802), aged 17, Irish weaver who was convicted in Dublin, Ireland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Castle Forbes" on 3rd October 1819, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he died in 1829 3
  • Mr. William Acres, (b. 1814), aged 20, Irish farm labourer who was convicted in Tipperary, Ireland for 7 years for manslaughter, transported aboard the "Forth" on 21st October 1834, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 4
  • Joseph Acres, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Hooghly" in 1848 5

West Indies Acres migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 6
Acres Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century
  • Christopher Acres, who arrived in Barbados in 1679

Contemporary Notables of the name Acres (post 1700) +

  • Isabella Acres, American child actress
  • Mark Acres (b. 1962), retired American NBA basketball player
  • Birt Acres (1854-1918), American photographer and film pioneer
  • Peter Acres, English actor and musician
  • Basil Acres (1926-2000), English footballer
  • Adam Acres (1878-1955), Canadian politician


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. 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)
  3. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/castle-forbes
  4. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th October 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/forth
  5. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) HOOGHLY 1848. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1848Hooghly.htm
  6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies


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