| ![Show Contents]() Acken History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 Scotland Ireland The roots of the name Acken are found among the Strathclyde-Briton people of the ancient Scottish/English Borderlands. Acken was originally found 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 Acken familyThe surname Acken 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 Acken familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Acken 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 Acken History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Acken Spelling VariationsIn the era before dictionaries, there were no rules governing the spelling or translation of names or any other words. Consequently, there are an enormous number of spelling variations in Medieval Scottish names. Acken has appeared as Aitken, Aiken, Atkin, Atkins and others. Early Notables of the Acken familyNotable 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 Orkney. 3Arthur Aikin (1773-1854), chemist and scientific writer, was the eldest son of John Aikin, M.D., and was thus the brother of Lucy Aikin and nephew of Mrs. Barbauld. He was born at Warrington on 19 May 1773, and went at an early age to the free school there, and afterwards to Mr. Barbauld's school at Palgrave in Suffolk. 3Charles Rochemont Aikin...
Another 100 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Acken Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.  Migration of the Acken family to Ireland
Some of the Acken 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.
| Acken migration to the United States | + |
The freedom, opportunity, and land of the North American colonies beckoned. There, Scots found a place where they were generally free from persecution and where they could go on to become important players in the birth of new nations. Some fought in the American War of Independence, while others went north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. The ancestors of all of these Scottish settlers have been able to recover their lost national heritage in the last century through highland games and Clan societies in North America. Among them:
Acken Settlers in United States in the 17th Century- John Acken, who arrived in Virginia in 1653 4
Acken Settlers in United States in the 19th Century- William Acken, aged 22, originally from Liverpool, England, arrived in New York in 1892 aboard the ship "Etruria" from Liverpool, England 5
- Nicolas Acken, aged 23, originally from Germany, arrived in New York in 1893 aboard the ship "Friesland" from Antwerp, Belgium 5
Acken Settlers in United States in the 20th Century- Ida A. Acken, aged 38, originally from Glasgow, arrived in New York in 1904 aboard the ship "Arabic" from Liverpool, England 5
- Katherine B. Acken, arrived in New York in 1909 aboard the ship "Minneapolis" from London, England 5
| Contemporary Notables of the name Acken (post 1700) | + |
- John A. Acken, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Oklahoma State House of Representatives 69th District, 2002 6
- John Acken, American politician, Mayor of New Brunswick, New Jersey, 1843-45 6
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.
- 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)
- Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
- Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
- 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)
- Ellis Island Search retrieved 15th November 2022. Retrieved from https://heritage.statueofliberty.org/passenger-result
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, August 16) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
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Acken migration to the United States 
