Yoakam History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany

The roots of the Anglo-Saxon name Yoakam come from when the family resided in Yorkshire. The surname Yoakam is associated with the parish of Acomb, which was located on the outskirts of the city of York.

Early Origins of the Yoakam family

The surname Yoakam was first found in Yorkshire, at Acomb which is now a suburb within the City of York Unitary Authority. The place name is most likely derived from the Old English acum, which meant "at the oak trees." The village dates back to at least the Domesday Book where it was listed as Achum, Acum and Acun, and was land held by the Archbishop of York. The village was designated as a manor held by St. Peter. There was land enough for 8 ploughs and there were 14 rent-paying tenants. 1

By 1222, the village was listed as Akum. 2 East and West Acomb, Northumberland have traditionally been quite a bit smaller than the Yorkshire village with West Acomb being the larger of the two. In both of these latter cases, the first record of the place name was with the Akum spelling in 1268. Hadrian's Wall runs about 1 mile (1.5 km), north east of Acomb, Northumberland.

Some of the first records of the family were Philip de Akum, who was registered in Yorkshire in 1210 3 and Willelmus de Acom who was listed in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379. 4

Early History of the Yoakam family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Yoakam research. Another 142 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1325, 1379, 1525, 1574, 1670, 1692 and 1767 are included under the topic Early Yoakam History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Yoakam Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore,spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Yoakam has been recorded under many different variations, including Acombe, Acomb, Acome, Acom, Acum, Akum, A Combe and others.

Early Notables of the Yoakam family

More information is included under the topic Early Yoakam Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Yoakam family

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Yoakam or a variant listed above: Robert Acom who settled in Virginia in 1642; and Thomas Acome who settled in Virginia in 1642.

Contemporary Notables of the name Yoakam (post 1700) +

Stephen Yoakam, American actor, known for Sweet Land (2005), Here on Earth (2000) and Older Than America (2008)
Dwight Yoakam (b. 1956), American Screen Actors Guild Award nominated country singer and actor; he has a Star on the Walk of Fame

Citations +

Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
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)