The Attekent name has descended through the generations from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. Their name comes from having lived the personal name Adam. Attekent is a diminutive which means son of Adam.
The surname AtteKent was first found in Westmorland and Northumberland where they held a family seat from ancient times, before the Norman Conquest of England in 1066.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Attekent research. Another 92 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1191, 1296, 1379, 1621, 1559, 1581, 1558, 1635, 1558, 1601, 1681, 1626, 1685, 1662, 1615, 1677, 1587, 1669, 1630, 1698, 1686, 1689, 1647, 1711, 1610, 1703, 1665, 1670, 1674 and 1680 are included under the topic Early Attekent History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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 Attekent has undergone many spelling variations, including Adkin, Atkin, Atkins, Adekin, Adekyns, Adekyn, Adkins and many more.
Distinguished members of the family include Richard Atkins (1559?-1581), English martyr, born at Ross in Herefordshire; Henry Atkins (1558-1635), English physician, born in 1558, son of Richard Atkins of Great Berkhamstead, Hertfordshire; William Atkins (1601-1681), an English Jesuit; Robert Adkins (1626-1685), English ejected minister of 1662 from Chard, Somerset; Richard Atkyns (1615-1677), an English writer and printer from Gloucestershire; Sir Edward Atkyns...
Another 62 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Attekent Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Some of the Attekent family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 43 words (3 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Attekent were among those contributors: Sir Jonathon Atkins who was Governor of Barbados in 1663; Henry Atkins settled in Plymouth in 1641; Thomas Adkins settled in East Hartford in 1682.