Adcock
A surname meaning “little Adam,” formed from the personal name Adam plus a diminutive ending.
The #2,861 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 24,506 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Adcock is generally taken as a diminutive of the given name Adam, with the -cock ending used in medieval English to form familiar or pet-name surnames. In this sense it originally meant something like “little Adam” or “son of Adam” in an informal nickname form. Some historical writers also note that forms such as Atcock or Addcock may reflect related spelling variants from the same root.
History
The surname is well attested in medieval and early modern English records, and spelling varied a great deal before standardization. It appears in the same family of names as Adkins, Atkins, and other surnames built from popular baptismal names. Later sources treated Adcock both as a hereditary surname and as one of several regional spelling forms clustered around Adam-based names.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The medieval English ending -cock was not just for this surname; it appears in many playful or affectionate nickname surnames, such as Hancock, Hitchcock, and Maycock.
From the historical record
“ADCOCK ReyDoldAdairthwatte,i54i:W.NichQll8, History and Traditionti of Ravenstone> dale, CO. Westra.. p. ii.^. Robert Adamthwaire, 154 1 : ibid. Richard Adanithwaite, 154 1 : ibid. 1638. Bapt. — Mary. d. Thomas Adam- thwaite : St. Jas, Clerkenwell i. 1^9.”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (alternate scan)