Contents [hide]

Deakin History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Deakin History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland
Scotland

The name Deakin is from the ancient Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name was given to a person who was a deacon, an officer in the church. The occupation appears in the Old French as diacne, in Old English as diacon or deacon, and in Old English as deakne. Alternatively, the name could have been derived "from the name of an ancestor as in 'the son of David.' " 1

Early Origins of the Deakin family

The surname Deakin was first found in Suffolk where Richard le Diakne was the first record of the family appearing in the Curia Regis Rolls of 1212. A few years later, Richard le Deken(e) was listed in the Assize Rolls for Bedfordshire in 1247 and later in the Assize Rolls for Northumberland in 1256. 2

As an occupation, "Walter the Deacon was at the compilation of Domesday a tenant in chief in the counties of Gloucester and Essex." 3 4

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 listed: Gile Deacon, Norfolk; Richard le Dekene, Norfolk; Adam le Dekene, Somerset; and Peter le Dekne, Cambridgeshire. 1

Up north in Scotland, the first record of the family was Walter Dekne, burgess of St. John's town of Perth, who had a safe conduct into England for two years, 1291. 5

Early History of the Deakin family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Deakin research. Another 202 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1212, 1256, 1327, 1332, 1379, 1697, 1715 and 1753 are included under the topic Early Deakin History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Deakin Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Deakin family name include Deakin, Deacon, Deakan, Deakins, Dekne, Diakne and many more.

Early Notables of the Deakin family

Another 31 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Deakin Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Deakin Ranking

In the United Kingdom, the name Deakin is the 963^rd most popular surname with an estimated 7,236 people with that name. 6

Migration of the Deakin family to Ireland

Some of the Deakin family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Deakin migration to the United States +

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, the Canadas, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Investigation of the origins of family names on the North American continent has revealed that early immigrants bearing the name Deakin or a variant listed above:

Deakin Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Easter Deakin, who settled in America in 1703
Mary Deakin, who settled in Annapolis, Maryland in 1736
William Deakin, who settled in Annapolis in 1774

Deakin Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

David Deakin, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1854 7

Deakin migration to Australia +

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

Deakin Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. William Deakin, English convict who was convicted in Shropshire, England for life, transported aboard the "Clyde" on 20th August 1830, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 8
Mr. John Deakin, English convict who was convicted in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Barossa" on 27th August 1841, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 9
Robert Deakin, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Caroline" in 1851 10

Deakin 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:

Deakin Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Charles Deakin, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Black Eagle" in 1861 11
Mr. Charles Deakin, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Black Eagle" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 19th November 1861 12
Mr. Henry Deakin, (b. 1840), aged 23, British carpenter travelling from London aboard the ship 'Mermaid' arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 16th February 1864 12
Miss Susan Deakin, (b. 1843), aged 20, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship 'Mermaid' arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 16th February 1864 12

Contemporary Notables of the name Deakin (post 1700) +

Prime Minister Alfred Deakin (1856-1919), Australian politician, three-time Prime Minister of Australia (1903-1904), (1905-1908), (1909-1910)
James Deakin (1929-2007), American journalist
Matt Deakin (b. 1980), American competition rower, Olympic champion and world champion
Lucy Deakin (b. 1971), American child actress
David W. Deakin, American Democratic Party politician, First Selectman of Bethel, Connecticut; Elected 1961, 1963 13
Alan Deakin (1941-2018), English footballer, member of the England under 23 team
Michael R. F. "Mike" Deakin (1933-2017), English professional footballer who played from 1954 to 1962
John "Jack" Deakin (1912-2001), English footballer
Michael Deakin (b. 1957), former English cricketer
Roger Stuart Deakin (1943-2006), English writer, documentary -maker and environmentalist
... (Another 11 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Deakin 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: In utrumque utroque paratus
Motto Translation: Prepared for both.

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
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)
"UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
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 19th February 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/clyde
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/barossa
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) CAROLINE 1851. Retrieved http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1851Caroline.gif
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 12) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html