Echen Surname, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Buy JPG Image »

The first people to use the name Echen were a family of Strathclyde- Britons who lived in the Scottish/English Borderlands. The name comes from when someone lived in Lanarkshire.

Echen Early Origins

PDF Coat of Arms
+ Extended History

PDF Coat of Arms + Extended Surname History

Buy PDF History »

The surname Echen 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. One of the first records of the name was Atkyn de Barr in 1340 and later in 1405 when named "John of Akyne, a Scottish merchant petitioned for the return of his ship and goods illegally seized in England" The name and all it's variants are double diminutives of Adam, formed from 'Ad,' the diminutive of Adam + 'kin'

Echen Spelling Variations

Surnames that evolved in Scotland in the Middle Ages often appear under many spelling variations. These are due to the practice of spelling according to sound in the era before dictionaries had standardized the English language. Echen has appeared as Aitken, Aiken, Atkin, Atkins and others.

Echen Early History

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Echen research. Another 241 words (17 lines of text) covering the years 1405, 1482, 1497, 1520, 1687, 1676, 1680 and 1687 are included under the topic Early Echen History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Echen Early Notables (pre 1700)

Another 21 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Echen Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Echen In Ireland

Some of the Echen family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. Another 337 words (24 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

The Great Migration

The North American colonies beckoned, with their ample land and opportunity as their freedom from the persecution suffered by so many Clan families back home. Many Scots even fought against England in the American War of Independence to gain this freedom. Recently, clan societies have allowed the ancestors of these brave Scottish settlers to rediscover their familial roots. Among them: Ann and Daniel Aiken who settled in New York State in 1811; David, Henry and Hugh Aiken settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania between 1868 and 1880; John Aikens settled in New Orleans La. in 1821.

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.

Echen Family Crest Products

Citations

^ Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
^ 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)

Other References

Papworth, J.W and A.W Morant. Ordinary of British Armorials. London: T.Richards, 1874. Print.
Samuelsen, W. David. New York City Passenger List Manifests Index 1820 - 1824. North Salt Lake, Utah: Accelerated Indexing Systems International, 1986. Print.
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).
Bowman, George Ernest. The Mayflower Reader A Selection of Articales from The Mayflower Descendent. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing. Print.
Leyburn, James Graham. The Scotch-Irish A Social History. Chapel Hill: UNC Press, 1962. Print. (ISBN 0807842591).
Adam, Frank. Clans Septs and Regiments of the Scottish Highlands 8th Edition. London: Bacon (G.W.) & Co, 1970. Print. (ISBN 10-0717945006).
Shaw, William A. Knights of England A Complete Record from the Earliest Time to the Present Day of the Knights of all the Orders of Chivalry in England, Scotland, Ireland and Knights Bachelors 2 Volumes. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing. Print. (ISBN 080630443X).
Burke, John Bernard Ed. The Roll of Battle Abbey. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing. Print.
Catholic Directory For Scotland. Glasgow: Burns Publications. Print.
Bell, Robert. The Book of Ulster Surnames. Belfast: Blackstaff, 1988. Print. (ISBN 10-0856404160).
...

The Echen Family Crest was acquired from the Houseofnames.com archives. The Echen Family Crest was drawn according to heraldic standards based on published blazons. We generally include the oldest published family crest once associated with each surname.

This page was last modified on 31 August 2015 at 13:44.