Awchlek is an ancient Scottish name that was first used by the Strathclyde-Briton people of the Scottish/English Borderlands. It is a name for someone who lived in the barony of Auchinleck in Ayrshire or from Affleck in Angus.
The surname Awchlek was first found in Ayrshire and Angus where one of the first records of the name was Nicholas of Haghenlek who is mentioned in the records of 1292 is the same Nicol de Achithlege of the county of Ayr who rendered homage to King Edward I of England on his brief conquest of Scotland in 1296. [1]
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Awchlek research. Another 132 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1311 and 1464 are included under the topic Early Awchlek History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Prior to the first dictionaries, scribes spelled words according to sound. This, and the fact that Scottish names were repeatedly translated from Gaelic to English and back, contributed to the enormous number of spelling variations in Scottish names. Awchlek has been spelled Affleck, Athlyk, Athinkel, Auchlek, Athlek, Achleck, Achinfleck, Afleck, Authinlek and many more.
More information is included under the topic Early Awchlek Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
In such difficult times, the difficulties of raising the money to cross the Atlantic to North America did not seem so large compared to the problems of keeping a family together in Scotland. It was a journey well worth the cost, since it was rewarded with land and freedom the Scots could not find at home. The American War of Independence solidified that freedom, and many of those settlers went on to play important parts in the forging of a great nation. Among them: Andrew Affleck who settled in Barbados in 1678; Thomas Affleck settled in Frederick County, Maryland in 1787; George, John, and Joseph Affleck, all settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania between 1872 and 1880.