Atkyns History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England-Alt
England
Scotland
Ireland

The lineage of the name Atkyns begins with the Anglo-Saxon tribes in Britain. It is a result of when they lived the personal name Adam. Atkyns is a diminutive which means son of Adam. 1 2 3

"There is no need of course to prove this, but it is interesting to note the following: 'Adam le Fullere,' a citizen of London, is twice referred to as Adekin le Fullere (1073, Hundred Rolls)." 4

Early Origins of the Atkyns family

The surname Atkyns was first found in Norfolk where the name first appeared as a forename: Adekin filius Turst, in the Pipe Rolls of 1191. Later records show John Adekyn in Crowland, Cambridgeshire in 1296; William Atkyns in the Subsidy Rolls in Worcestershire in 1327; and John Adekynes in the Subsidy Rolls for Warwickshire in 1332. 3

We find the first records of the family using the "E" prefix in Oxfordshire where Edekin Gomey was listed in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1279. The same rolls also included an entry for Joan Edekin. Elena Edyknes was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Somerset in 1327. 3

Norfolk records show Geoffrey Adekyn there 10 Richard II (during the tenth year of Kind Richard II's reign.) 5 Again in Somerset, we found William Adekyn, 1 Edward III. 6

"Though not of early introduction it became well established in Ireland in the seventeenth century, especially in Cork where the Atkins family, who had come from Somerset, were prominent in the commercial life of the city; they also established themselves in the Youghal area." 7

"Atkins, Adkins. - A characteristic surname of the midland and eastern counties, being at present most relatively numerous in Northamptonshire, Oxfordshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, and Lincolnshire. Its place is taken in the north of England by Atkinson. These names are regarded as diminutives of Adam." 8

Early History of the Atkyns family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Atkyns research. Another 133 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1191, 1296, 1379, 1558, 1559, 1564, 1581, 1587, 1601, 1610, 1615, 1621, 1626, 1630, 1635, 1647, 1662, 1665, 1669, 1670, 1674, 1677, 1680, 1681, 1685, 1686, 1689, 1698, 1703, 1709, 1711 and 1718 are included under the topic Early Atkyns History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Atkyns Spelling Variations

Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Atkyns has undergone many spelling variations, including Adkin, Atkin, Atkins, Adekin, Adekyns, Adekyn, Adkins and many more.

Early Notables of the Atkyns family

Distinguished members of the family include

Richard Atkyns (1615-1677), an English writer and printer from Gloucestershire
Sir Edward Atkyns SL (1587-1669), an English judge, Baron of the Exchequer

Migration of the Atkyns family to Ireland

Some of the Atkyns family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 78 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Atkyns 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. 9

Atkyns Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Mr. Henry Atkyns, (b. 1612), aged 22, British settler travelling from Gravesend, UK aboard the ship "Hopewell" arriving in Barbados on 17th February 1634 10

Contemporary Notables of the name Atkyns (post 1700) +

Edward Atkyns Bray (1778-1857), English poet and miscellaneous writer, born at the Abbey House, Tavistock, the only son of Edward Bray, solicitor, and manager of the Devonshire estates of the Duke of Bedford 11

The Atkyns 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: Vincit cum legibus arma
Motto Translation: He wins over violence with laws

Citations +

Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Dixon, Bernard Homer, Surnames. London: John Wilson and son, 1857. Print
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Rye, Walter, A History of Norfolk. London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, 1885. Print
Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.
MacLysaght, Edward, Supplement to Irish Families. Baltimore: Genealogical Book Company, 1964. Print.
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
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)
Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 5 Feb. 2019