Contents [hide]

Aiken History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Aiken History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland

The age-old Scottish surname Aiken was first used by the Strathclyde-Briton people. The Aiken family 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 Aiken family

The surname Aiken 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 Aiken family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Aiken 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 Aiken History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Aiken Spelling Variations

In Medieval times, spelling and translation were not nearly so highly developed as today. They were generally carried out according to the sound and intuition of the bearer. For that reason spelling variations are extremely common among early Scottish names. Aiken has been spelled Aitken, Aiken, Atkin, Atkins and others.

Early Notables of the Aiken 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 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 Aiken Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Aiken Ranking

In the United States, the name Aiken is the 2,449^th most popular surname with an estimated 12,435 people with that name. 4

Migration of the Aiken family to Ireland

Some of the Aiken 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.

Aiken migration to the United States +

Unrest, poverty, and persecution caused thousands to look for opportunity and freedom in the North American colonies. The crossing was long, overcrowded, and unsanitary, though, and came only at great expense. Many Strathclyde families settled on the east coast of North America in communities that would form the backbone of what would become the great nations of the United States and Canada. The American War of Independence caused those who remained loyal to England to move north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. In the 20th century, Strathclyde and other Scottish families across North America began to recover their collective heritage through highland games and Clan societies. Among them:

Aiken Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Edward Aiken, who arrived in New England in 1720 5
James Aiken, who landed in New England in 1720 5
William Aiken, who landed in New England in 1720 5
Edward Aiken, who landed in New England in 1722 5
John Aiken, who landed in New England in 1724 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Aiken Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

James Aiken, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1808 5
Ann and Daniel Aiken who settled in New York State in 1811
Anne Aiken, who arrived in New York, NY in 1811 5
Daniel Aiken, who landed in New York, NY in 1811 5
William Aiken, who arrived in Charleston, South Carolina in 1811 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Aiken migration to Australia +

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

Aiken Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. James Aiken, (Acken), (b. 1799), aged 23, English labourer from Yorkshire, England who was convicted in Chennai (Madras), India for life, transported aboard the "Calder" in 1822, arriving in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia 6
Mr. James Aiken, English convict who was convicted in Sussex, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Canton" on 20th September 1839, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 7
Mr. George Aiken, English convict who was convicted in Lewes, East Sussex, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "Candahar" on 26th March 1842, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 8
Hanry Aiken, aged 21, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Flora" 9
Irvine Aiken, aged 19, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Constantine"

Aiken 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:

Aiken Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mary Aiken, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Gipsy" in 1854
Miss Mary Aiken, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Gipsey" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 25th October 1854, en-route to Wellington 10
Mr. George Aiken, British settler travelling from Gravesend, UK aboard the ship "Anne Longton" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 9th October 1857 10

Contemporary Notables of the name Aiken (post 1700) +

Donald John Judson Aiken (1932-2021), American ice hockey goaltender who played one game for the Montreal Canadiens in the National Hockey League during the 1957–1958 season
Brigadier-General John Aiken (1879-1964), American Commanding Officer 55th Infantry Brigade (1939-1941) 11
Caroline Aiken (b. 1955), American singer and guitarist from Atlanta, Georgia
Conrad Potter Aiken (1889-1973), American novelist and poet awarded the 1930 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry
Blair Aiken (b. 1956), American NASCAR driver
William Martin Aiken (1855-1908), American architect who served as Supervising Architect of the United States Treasury
Ann Aiken (b. 1951), American attorney and jurist in the state of Oregon
Howard Hathaway Aiken (1900-1973), American pioneer in computing, being the primary engineer behind IBM's Harvard Mark I computer
Charlotte Aiken, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Louisiana, 1956 12
Ardi Aiken, American politician, Mayor of Great Falls, Montana, 1988-91 12
... (Another 23 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Aiken 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.

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)
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
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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 25th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/calder
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/canton
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 9th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/candahar
South Australian Register Monday 9th April 1855. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Flora 1855. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/flora1855.shtml
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2011, October 6) John Aiken. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Aiken/John/USA.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 4) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html