Contents [hide]

Aitchison History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Aitchison History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland

An ancient Strathclyde-Briton family from the Scottish/English Borderlands were the first to use the name Aitchison. They lived in Berwickshire.

Early Origins of the Aitchison family

The surname Aitchison was first found in Berwickshire an ancient county of Scotland, presently part of the Scottish Borders Council Area, located in the eastern part of the Borders Region of Scotland, where one of the first records of the name was Johannes filius Ade was a "custumar" of North Berwick in 1384 and later appears as John Atkynsoun in 1387. [1]

Early History of the Aitchison family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Aitchison research. Another 67 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1000, 1408, 1552, 1558, 1563, 1580, 1611, 1621, 1628, 1629, 1634, 1638, 1655, 1657, 1685, 1688, 1695, 1699, 1701, 1727, 1728, 1748 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Aitchison History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Aitchison Spelling Variations

Before the printing press standardized spelling in the last few hundred years, no general rules existed in the English language. Spelling variations in Scottish names from the Middle Ages are common even within a single document. Aitchison has been spelled Acheson, Acherson, Atcherson, Aitcheson, Aitchison, Atcheson, Achison and many more.

Early Notables of the Aitchison family

Another 46 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Aitchison Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Aitchison family to Ireland

Some of the Aitchison family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 183 words (13 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Aitchison migration to the United States +

For Scottish immigrants, the great expense of travel to North America did not seem such a problem in those unstable times. Acres of land awaited them and many got the chance to fight for their freedom in the American War of Independence. These Scots and their ancestors went on to play important roles in the forging of the great nations of the United States and Canada. Among them:

Aitchison Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Robert Aitchison, aged 28, who arrived in South Carolina in 1812 [2]
William Aitchison, who landed in New York in 1848 [2]
Robert Aitchison, who arrived in New York in 1848 [2]
John Aitchison, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1856 [2]
William Alexander Aitchison, who arrived in Richmond, Va in 1860 [2]

Aitchison migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Aitchison Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Andrew Aitchison who settled in Niagara, Lincoln county Ontario in 1852
William Aitchison who settled in Colchester county, Nova Scotia in 1875

Aitchison migration to Australia +

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

Aitchison Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. James Aitchison, Scottish convict who was convicted in Edinburgh, Scotland for life, transported aboard the "Aurora" on 18th June 1835, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) [3]
James Aitchison, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Lady Lilford" in 1839 [4]
Isabella Aitchison, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Lady Lilford" in 1839 [4]
Mary Aitchison, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Lady Lilford" in 1839 [4]
Elliott Aitchison, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Lady Lilford" in 1839 [4]
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Aitchison 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:

Aitchison Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Oliver Aitchison, who landed in Auckland, New Zealand in 1840 aboard the ship Jane Gifford
Miss Ann Aitchison, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Sevilla" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 2nd December 1859 [5]
Mr. John Aitchison, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Robert Henderson" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 3rd September 1860 [5]
Mrs. Aitchison, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Robert Henderson" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 3rd September 1860 [5]
Mr. George Aitchison, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Robert Henderson" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 3rd September 1860 [5]
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Aitchison (post 1700) +

Brooks Rynd Aitchison (1891-1936), American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Illinois, 1936 [6]
John Ronald Craigie Aitchison CBE RSA RA (1926-2009), Scottish painter
Craigie Mason Aitchison KC (1882-1941), Lord Aitchison, Scottish politician and judge
James Edward Tierney Aitchison FRSE FRS FRCSE (1836-1898), Scottish surgeon and botanist, member of the Royal Society in 1883
Dominic Aitchison (b. 1976), Scottish bassist
James Aitchison (1920-1994), Scottish first class cricketer
Martin Aitchison (1919-2016), English illustrator for the Eagle comic from 1952 to 1963
Suzy Aitchison (b. 1960), British television actress, best known for her role as Susie on Jam & Jerusalem
Frances Helen Aitchison (1881-1947), English silver medalist tennis player at the 1912 Summer Olympics
Sir Charles Aitchison, English Army Lieutenant, 4th Baronet Aitchison, of Lemmington, Northumberland
... (Another 4 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Aitchison 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: Ane chast arbor
Motto Translation: One pure tree.

Citations +

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)
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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 20th August 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/aurora
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) LADY LILFORD 1839. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1839LadyLilford.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, February 2) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html