Atkinson
A patronymic surname meaning “son of Atkin,” with Atkin itself coming from a medieval pet form of Adam.
The #637 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 5,784 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Atkinson is an English patronymic surname built from Atkin plus the suffix -son, meaning “son of Atkin.” The name Atkin is a medieval diminutive form of Adam, made with a familiar ending used in northern English speech. In older surname collections, Atkinson is therefore treated as one of several English surnames descending from the very common biblical name Adam.
History
The surname is especially associated with northern England, where the forms Atkin and Atkinson were common early on. It has many related spellings and offshoots, including Atkins, Atkin, Adkins, and Adkinson. Because Adam was so widely used as a baptismal name in the Middle Ages, the surname developed independently in more than one family line.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Older surname dictionaries group Atkinson with a whole cluster of Adam-based names such as Addyman, Atkins, and Adcock.
From the historical record
“Bardsley and Ayre's Register of Ulverston Parish Church. Pub. by Jas. Atkinson, Ulverston, 18S6, Bardsle/s (C. W.) Curiosities of PuriUn Nomencla- ture, ist edit, 1880. Pub. by Chatto & Windus. ■ English Surnames, 4th edit, 1889. Pub. by”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with special American instances