Show ContentsAtkin History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The first people to use the name Atkin were a family of Strathclyde-Britons who lived in the Scottish/English Borderlands. The name comes from when someone lived in Lanarkshire. The name and all it's variants are double diminutives of Adam, formed from 'Ad,' the diminutive of Adam + 'kin' [1]

Early Origins of the Atkin family

The surname Atkin was first found in Lanarkshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Lannraig) a former county in the central Strathclyde region of Scotland, now divided into the Council Areas of North Lanarkshire, South Lanarkshire, and the City of Glasgow, where they originated in the old barony of Akyne. Some of the first records of the name were Atkyn de Barr in 1340 [2] and later in 1405, "John of Akyne, a Scottish merchant petitioned for the return of his ship and goods illegally seized in England." [1]

Early History of the Atkin family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Atkin research. Another 183 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1405, 1482, 1497, 1520, 1558, 1559, 1581, 1601, 1613, 1631, 1635, 1642, 1653, 1654, 1676, 1679, 1680, 1681, 1685, 1687, 1703, 1713, 1744, 1757, 1773, 1775, 1780, 1847 and 1854 are included under the topic Early Atkin History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Atkin Spelling Variations

Surnames that evolved in Scotland in the Middle Ages often appear under many spelling variations. These are due to the practice of spelling according to sound in the era before dictionaries had standardized the English language. Atkin has appeared as Aitken, Aiken, Atkin, Atkins and others.

Early Notables of the Atkin family

Notable amongst the family at this time was

  • James Aitkine, Atkins or Etkins (1613?-1687), Scottish prelate, Bishop of Moray (1676), Bishop of Galloway (1680-1687.) He was born at Kirkwall about 1613, was the son of Harie Atkine, Sheriff of Orkn...

Atkin Ranking

In the United States, the name Atkin is the 10,677th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. [3]

Ireland Migration of the Atkin family to Ireland

Some of the Atkin family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 173 words (12 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Atkin migration to the United States +

The North American colonies beckoned, with their ample land and opportunity as their freedom from the persecution suffered by so many Clan families back home. Many Scots even fought against England in the American War of Independence to gain this freedom. Recently, clan societies have allowed the ancestors of these brave Scottish settlers to rediscover their familial roots. Among them:

Atkin Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Samson Atkin, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 [4]
  • John Atkin, who landed in Virginia in 1645 [4]
Atkin Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • James Atkin, who arrived in Maryland in 1716 [4]
  • John Atkin, who arrived in Charleston, South Carolina in 1734 [4]
  • Thomas Atkin, who arrived in Maryland in 1766 [4]
Atkin Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Mr. James Atkin, aged 20, British settler who arrived in New York aboard the ship "Cynosure" in 1863

Australia Atkin migration to Australia +

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

Atkin Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Miss Mary Atkin, British Convict who was convicted in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Experiment" on 4th December 1803, arriving in New South Wales, Australia [5]
  • Miss Jane Atkin who was convicted in Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Brothers" on 20th November 1823, arriving in New South Wales, Australia and Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) [6]
  • Mr. Thomas Atkin, British convict who was convicted in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Bussorah Merchant" on 1st October 1829, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) [7]
  • Mr. William Atkin, (Aitkins), (b. 1784), aged 52, English labourer who was convicted in Kesteven, Lincolnshire, England for 14 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Elphinstone" on 20th January 1836, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he died in 1853 [8]
  • Miss Margaret Atkin, English convict who was convicted in Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland, England for 15 years, transported aboard the "Emma Eugenia" on 16th November 1841, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) [9]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

New Zealand Atkin 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:

Atkin Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • William Atkin, who landed in Tamaki, Auckland, New Zealand in 1840 aboard the ship Barque Tuscan
  • Mr. Atkin, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Tuscan" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 28th September 1842 [10]
  • William Atkin, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Zealandia" in 1861
  • Miss Mary Elizabeth Atkin, British settler travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Lancashire Witch" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 13th October 1863 [11]
  • James Atkin, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Empress" in 1865
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Atkin (post 1700) +

  • Arthur Oliver "A.O.L." Lonsdale Atkin (1925-2008), British-American computational number theorist, co-developer of the Atkin-Lehner theory and the Sieve of Atkin
  • Jerry Atkin (b. 1949), American CEO of Skywest Airlines
  • Jeffery Ralph Atkin (b. 1943), American businessman, SkyWest Airlines founder
  • Thomas R. Atkin, American politician, Candidate in primary for Mayor of Tooele, Utah, 1989 [12]
  • Harvey Atkin (1942-2017), Canadian voice actor, known for his Genie nominated work on Meatballs (1979)
  • Jack Atkin (b. 1883), English footballer from Newhall, Derbyshire
  • John Michael Atkin (1948-2008), English footballer from Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire
  • Thomas "Tommy" Lowes Atkin (1906-1986), English footballer
  • Robert Travers Atkin (1841-1872), Irish-born, Australian politician in colonial Queensland
  • Charles Sydney Atkin (1889-1958), British gold medalist field hockey player at the 1920 Summer Olympics
  • ... (Another 6 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Empress of Ireland
  • Miss Martha Jane Atkin (1890-1914), Canadian Second Class Passenger from Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, Canada who was traveling aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking [13]


The Atkin Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Robore et vigilantia
Motto Translation: Strength and vigilance.


  1. Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
  2. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  3. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  4. 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)
  5. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 22nd March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/coromandel-and-experiment
  6. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 30th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/brothers
  7. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 10th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bussorah-merchant
  8. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elphinstone
  9. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 30th March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/emma-eugenia
  10. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  11. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  12. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 11) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  13. Commemoration Empress of Ireland 2014. (Retrieved 2014, June 16) . Retrieved from http://www.empress2014.ca/seclangen/listepsc1.html


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