Yocum History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The ancient roots of the Yocum family name are in the Anglo-Saxon culture. The name Yocum comes from when the family lived in Yorkshire. The surname Yocum is associated with the parish of Acomb, which was located on the outskirts of the city of York.

Early Origins of the Yocum family

The surname Yocum was first found in Yorkshire, at Acomb which is now a suburb within the City of York Unitary Authority. The place name is most likely derived from the Old English acum, which meant "at the oak trees." The village dates back to at least the Domesday Book where it was listed as Achum, Acum and Acun, and was land held by the Archbishop of York. The village was designated as a manor held by St. Peter. There was land enough for 8 ploughs and there were 14 rent-paying tenants. 1

By 1222, the village was listed as Akum. 2 East and West Acomb, Northumberland have traditionally been quite a bit smaller than the Yorkshire village with West Acomb being the larger of the two. In both of these latter cases, the first record of the place name was with the Akum spelling in 1268. Hadrian's Wall runs about 1 mile (1.5 km), north east of Acomb, Northumberland.

Some of the first records of the family were Philip de Akum, who was registered in Yorkshire in 1210 3 and Willelmus de Acom who was listed in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379. 4

Early History of the Yocum family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Yocum research. Another 142 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1325, 1379, 1525, 1574, 1670, 1692 and 1767 are included under the topic Early Yocum History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Yocum Spelling Variations

One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Yocum has appeared include Acombe, Acomb, Acome, Acom, Acum, Akum, A Combe and others.

Early Notables of the Yocum family

More information is included under the topic Early Yocum Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Yocum Ranking

In the United States, the name Yocum is the 4,708^th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 5

Yocum migration to the United States +

At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Yocum arrived in North America very early:

Yocum Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Peter Yocum, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1627 6

Yocum Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

James Yocum, aged 21, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1776 6

Yocum Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Thomas D Yocum, who landed in Texas in 1830 6

Yocum Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Anita M. Yocum, aged 0, who landed in America, in 1910
B. Thomas Yocum, aged 31, who immigrated to America, in 1911
Charles Yocum, aged 29, who landed in America, in 1920
Gertrude Yocum, aged 42, who immigrated to the United States, in 1924

Contemporary Notables of the name Yocum (post 1700) +

Lewis Yocum (1947-2013), American orthopedic surgeon, a specialist in the Tommy John procedure
Vern Yocum (1909-1991), American copyist and librarian for noteworthy singers including Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, and Nelson Riddle
Seth Hartman Yocum (1834-1895), American politician, Greenback member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania
Troy Yocum (b. 1979), American veteran of the Iraq war, who hiked over 7,000 miles across America to bring awareness to issues faced by veterans and their families
Matt Yocum (b. 1968), American NASCAR reporter, best known for his pit reports
William P. Yocum, American Democratic Party politician, Burgess of Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania, 1933-37 7
Warren R. Yocum, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Pennsylvania, 1960 7
Tim Yocum, American Republican politician, Chair of Vermillion County Republican Party, 2011 7
Seth Hartman Yocum (1834-1895), American Republican politician, Centre County District Attorney, 1875-79; U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania 20th District, 1879-81; Mayor of Johnson City, Tennessee, 1885 7
John R. Yocum, American Republican politician, Chair of Mifflin County Republican Party, 1953 7
... (Another 1 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 8) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html