Oakemint History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• Scotland

The chronicles of the Oakemint family reach back into Scottish history to an ancient tribe known as the Picts. The ancestors of the Oakemint family lived in Lanarkshire. But the origins of the Oakemint surname are still unclear. Some suggest that the name came from the Old English Aecemann, meaning "oak-man." Family lore has it that an officer commanding troops besieging Macbeth in Dunsinan Castle ordered his men to march in attack with branches of oak; the officer then became known as the "oak-man." ^[1]

Early Origins of the Oakemint family

The surname Oakemint was first found in the counties of Fifeshire and Forfarshire, in Scotland. It is said that Akeman commanded MacBeth's troops in the siege of Dunsinane Castle and ordered the attack in 1057. One of the earliest records for the name was Alisaundre Akeman who swore an oath of allegiance to King Edward I in 1296. "The tombs of ten John Aikmans are said to be in Arbroath Abbey." ^[1]

Important Dates for the Oakemint family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Oakemint research. Another 60 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1575, 1682, 1731 and 1707 are included under the topic Early Oakemint History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Oakemint Spelling Variations

When the first dictionaries were invented in the last few hundred years, spelling gradually became standardized. Before that time, scribes spelled according to sound. Names were often recorded under different spelling variations every time they were written. Oakemint has been written Aikman, Akeman, Aichman, Aykman, Akman, Hekman and others.

Early Notables of the Oakemint family (pre 1700)

Notable amongst the Clan at this time was William Aikman (1682-1731), Scottish portrait painter, born at Caerney, Forfarshire. "He was the only son of William Aikman, advocate, sheriff of Forfarshire, and a man of eminence at the Scottish...
Another 37 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Oakemint Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Oakemint family

The crossing to North America did not seem so great in comparison with the hardships many Scots endured at home. It was long, expensive, and cramped, but also rewarding. North America offered land and the chance for settlers to prove themselves in a new place. And many did prove themselves as they fought to forge a new nation in the American War of Independence. The ancestors of those Scots can now experience much of their once-lost heritage through the Clan societies and highland games that have sprung up across North America in the last century. A search of immigration and passenger lists revealed many important, early immigrants to North America bearing the name of Oakemint: Francis Aikman, who came to Virginia in 1669; Patrick Aikman, who came to Boston in 1715; William Aikman, who arrived in Boston in 1718; Ernest Akman who settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1750.

Citations

1. ^ 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)