Atkinson History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Etymology of Atkinson

What does the name Atkinson mean?

The Atkinson surname was patronymic name created from Atkin, a Middle English personal name, which was one of the many pet forms of Adam.

Early Origins of the Atkinson family

The surname Atkinson was first found in the counties of Northumberland and Cumberland where they held a family seat from ancient times long before the Norman Conquest in 1066. The name was derived from Atkin and Adkin.

Early History of the Atkinson family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Atkinson research. Another 113 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1200, 1702, 1861, 1890 and 1910 are included under the topic Early Atkinson History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Atkinson Spelling Variations

The name, Atkinson, occurred in many references, and from time to time, it was spelt Atkinson, Aitkinson, Atkenson, Aitkenson, Atkington, Attkinson and many more.

Early Notables of the Atkinson family

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

Atkinson World Ranking

the United States, the name Atkinson is the 635^th most popular surname with an estimated 47,253 people with that name. 1 However, in Canada, the name Atkinson is ranked the 395^th most popular surname with an estimated 11,706 people with that name. 2 And in Australia, the name Atkinson is the 197^th popular surname with an estimated 16,556 people with that name. 3 New Zealand ranks Atkinson as 201^st with 2,769 people. 4 The United Kingdom ranks Atkinson as 129^th with 39,008 people. 5

Migration of the Atkinson family to Ireland

Some of the Atkinson family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 70 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Atkinson migration to the United States +

The New World beckoned settlers from the Scottish-English borders. They sailed aboard the armada of sailing ships known as the "White Sails" which plied the stormy Atlantic. Some called them, less romantically, the "coffin ships." Among the early settlers bearing the Atkinson surname who came to North America were:

Atkinson Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

William Atkinson, who landed in Virginia in 1613 7
Francis Atkinson, who arrived in Virginia in 1622 7
Robert Atkinson, who landed in Virginia in 1622 7
Ann Atkinson, who arrived in Virginia in 1623 7
Charles Atkinson, who landed in Virginia in 1623 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Atkinson Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Stephen Atkinson, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1713 7
Theis Atkinson, who landed in Virginia in 1714 7
Mrs. E Atkinson, who arrived in New England in 1729 7
Law Atkinson, who landed in Maryland in 1746 7
Lawrence Atkinson, who arrived in Maryland in 1746 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Atkinson Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Geo Atkinson, who arrived in America in 1805 7
Richard Atkinson, who landed in America in 1805 7
Jane Atkinson, who landed in New York, NY in 1811 7
Eliza Atkinson, who arrived in New York, NY in 1811 7
Abraham Atkinson, aged 26, who landed in New York in 1812 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Atkinson migration to Canada +

Atkinson Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Thomas Atkinson, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1749
William Atkinson, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1749
James Atkinson, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1750
Thomas Atkinson, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1774
Sarah Atkinson, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1774
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Atkinson Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Samuel Atkinson, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Daniel O'Connell" in 1834
Mrs. Mary Atkinson, aged 23 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Naomi" departing from the port of Liverpool, England but died on Grosse Isle in August 1847 8
Miss. Bridget Atkinson, aged 3 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Wolfville" departing 25th May 1847 from Sligo, Ireland; the ship arrived on 10th June 1847 but she died on board 9
Mrs. Martha Atkinson, aged 65 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Broom" departing 13th June 1847 from Liverpool, England; the ship arrived on 6th August 1847 but she died on board 9
Mr. Thomas Atkinson, aged 5 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Wolfville" departing 25th May 1847 from Sligo, Ireland; the ship arrived on 10th June 1847 but he died on board 9

Atkinson Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century

I Atkinson, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1907

Atkinson migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia included the First Fleet, Second Fleet and Third Fleet of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

First Fleet

Miss Mary Atkinson, (1767 - 1820), aged 20, British settler convicted in Middlesex, England in 1787, sentenced to 7 years for theft, transported aboard the ship "Lady Juliana" leaving in 1789 arriving in New South Wales, Australia in 1790 6

Second Fleet

Mr. John Atkinson, British settler convicted in Middlesex, England in 1787, sentenced to 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the ship "Albermarle" leaving in 1790 arriving in New South Wales, Australia in 1791 7

Third Fleet

Mr. George Atkinson, (b. 1764), aged 23, English settler convicted in London on 21st April 1784, sentenced for 7 years for stealing clothing, transported aboard the ship "Scarborough" leaving in 1787 arriving in New South Wales, Australia in 1788 7

Following the First, Second and Third Fleets, other convicts and early settlers arriving in Australia include:

Atkinson Settlers in Australia in the 18th Century

Miss Betty Atkinson, English convict who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for 7 years , transported aboard the "Britannia III" on 18th July 1798, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 10
Mr. Adam Atkinson, Irish settler who was convicted in Ireland for life for rebellion, transported aboard the "Friendship" on 24th August 1799, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 11

Atkinson Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. William Atkinson, British convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Calcutta" in February 1803, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, the settlement was listed as abandoned and most of the convicts transported to Tasmania on the "Queen" in 1804 12
Mr. Edward Atkinson, English convict who was convicted in Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England for life, transported aboard the "Elizabeth" in May 1816, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 13
Mr. William Atkinson, British Convict who was convicted in London, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Batavia" in October 1817, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 14
Mrs. Ann Atkinson, (Cotton), (b. 1790), aged 27, British settler who was convicted in Lancaster, England for 7 years for being absent at night, transported aboard the "Friendship" on 1st May 1817, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 11
Mr.Thomas Atkinson, Irish convict who was convicted in Dublin, Ireland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Bencoolen" on 24th April 1819, arriving in New South Wales, Australia before being transferred to Tasmania via the "Admiral Cockburn", he died in 1821 15
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Atkinson 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:

Atkinson Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Henry Atkinson, aged 21, a teacher, who arrived in Port Nicholson aboard the ship "Gertrude" in 1841 16
Mary Atkinson, aged 22, who arrived in Port Nicholson aboard the ship "Gertrude" in 1841 16
William Atkinson, aged 26, a farm servant, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Thomas Harrison" in 1842
Mr. William Atkinson, (b. 1816), aged 26, British farm servant travelling from London aboard the ship "Thomas Harrison" arriving in Nelson, South Island, New Zealand on 28th October 1842 17
Mr. Atkinson, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Phoebe" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 18th April 1843 17
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Atkinson 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. 18

Atkinson Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Mr. Robert Atkinson, (b. 1612), aged 23, British settler traveling aboard the ship "Paul of London" arriving in St Christopher (Saint Kitts) in 1635 19

Contemporary Notables of the name Atkinson (post 1700) +

George Henry Atkinson II (1947-2025), American professional football player, safety and return specialist for the Oakland Raiders of the American Football League and National Football League(1968-1977)
William Dana Atkinson (1951-2025), American computer engineer, computer programmer, and photographer, worked at Apple Computer (1978-1990) noteworthy contributions to the field of computing include Macintosh QuickDraw and Lisa LisaGraf, marching ants, the menu bar, the selection lasso, MacPaint, HyperCard, Atkinson dithering, app PhotoCard.
Stan Atkinson (1932-2025), American television news reporter and anchor, news anchor for KCRA (1959-1963, 1976-1994) and news anchor for KOVR (1994-1999)
Hillard "Sweet Pea" Atkinson (1945-2020), American R&B singer known as one of the vocalists for the band Was (Not Was)
George Henry Atkinson III (1992-2019), American professional football player
George Francis Atkinson (1854-1918), American botanist and mycologist
Lieutenant-General Joseph Hampton Atkinson (1900-1984), American Commanding Officer of the Second Air Force, Barksdale AFB, Louisiana (1949-1952) 20
Eleanor Stackhouse Atkinson (1863-1942), American author, journalist and teacher
Justin Brooks Atkinson (1894-1984), American journalist who won the 1947 Pulitzer Prize for Correspondence
... (Another 109 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Atkinson family +

Empress of Ireland

Mr. John Atkinson (1890-1914), Canadian Third Class Passenger from Calgary, Alberta, Canada who survived the sinking on the Empress of Ireland 21
Sherry Atkinson (d. 1979), American passenger from Los Angeles, California, USA, who flew aboard American Airlines Flight 191 and died in the crash 22
Hugh Atkinson, British aboard the HMS Dorsetshire (1945) when she was struck by air bombers and sunk; he survived the sinking 23
Mr. Robert Atkinson (b. 1915), English Stoker Petty Officer serving for the Royal Navy from South Shields, County Durham, England, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 24
Mr. John H Atkinson (b. 1920), English Able Seaman serving for the Royal Navy from Belper, Derbyshire, England, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 25
... (Another 11 entries are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Atkinson 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: Esperance en Dieu
Motto Translation: Hope in God.

Sources +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Surnames Meanings, Origins & Distribution Maps - Forebears." Forebears, https://forebears.io/surnames
"Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
"Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
"UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 4th February 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships
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)
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 12)
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 64)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 30th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/Britannia
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th October 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/calcutta
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 1st March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elizabeth
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 30th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/batavia
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 5th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bencoolen
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 12th December 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's (Retrieved October 4th 2021 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2011, October 6) Joseph Atkinson. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Atkinson/Joseph_Hampton/USA.html
Commemoration Empress of Ireland 2014. (Retrieved 2014, June 16) . Retrieved from http://www.empress2014.ca/seclangen/listepsc1.html
Flight 191's Victims - latimes. (Retrieved 2014, April 16) . Retrieved from http://articles.latimes.com/1985-08-04/news/mn-4349_1_fort-lauderdale-area
Force Z Survivors HMS Dorsetshire Crew List, (Retrieved 2018, February 13th), https://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listdorsetshirecrew.html
H.M.S. Hood Association-Battle Cruiser Hood: Crew Information - H.M.S. Hood Rolls of Honour, Men Lost in the Sinking of H.M.S. Hood, 24th May 1941. (Retrieved 2016, July 15) . Retrieved from http://www.hmshood.com/crew/memorial/roh_24may41.htm