AITKEN Surname Meaning and Family History

Found primarily in Scotland, the surname Aitken is a diminutive form of the patronymic name ADAM, meaning man, derived from the Hebrew adama, meaning earth. Surname Origin: Scottish Alternate Surname Spellings:  AITKIN, AIKEN, ATKIN, ATKINS, AITKENE, ADKINS, AITKENS Famous People with the AITKEN  Surname James Macrae Aitken  - Scottish chess player and World War II cryptographerRobert Aitken  -  18th century American bible publisherRobert Grant Aitken  - American astronomerMichael Aitkens - British television writerJacqueline Aitken  - British childrens writer Jacqueline WilsonA. J. Aitken - Scottish lexicographer​ Where is the AITKEN Surname Most Common? According to surname distribution from  Forebears, the Aitken surname is  a  characteristic surname in the central counties of Scotland, found most commonly in West Lothian (ranked 21st),  Peeblesshire (22nd), East Lothian (33rd) and Stirlingshire (41st). It is also fairly common in Midlothian and Lanarkshire. The surname is much less common in England, where it is found in greatest numbers in Cumberland, but fairly widespread through Northern Ireland, especially in County Antrim. WorldNames PublicProfiler  indicates a similar distribution, although it also indicates fairly widespread distribution of the surname in Australia, New Zealand and Canada. It also points to the Aitken surname being found most commonly throughout central Scotland.   Genealogy Resources for the Surname AITKEN Meanings of Common Scottish  SurnamesUncover the meaning of your Scottish  last name with this free guide to the meanings and origins of common Scottish surnames. Aitken  Family Crest - Its Not What You ThinkContrary to what you may hear, there is no such thing as a Aitken  family crest or coat of arms for the Aitken surname.  Coats of arms are granted to individuals, not families, and may rightfully be used only by the uninterrupted male line descendants of the person to whom the coat of arms was originally granted. The Aitken DNA ProjectIndividuals with the Aitken surname or one of its variants (Aitkin, Aitkins) are invited to join this Y-DNA surname project to explore the use of DNA and traditional genealogy research to find family origins. AITKEN  Family Genealogy ForumThis free message board is focused on descendants of Aitken  ancestors around the world. Search the archives for messages about your Aitken family, or join the group and post your own Aitken query. FamilySearch - AITKEN  GenealogyExplore over 3 million  results from digitized  historical records and lineage-linked family trees related to the Aitken surname on this free website hosted by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. AITKEN  Surname Mailing ListFree mailing list for researchers of the Aitken  surname and its variations includes subscription details and a searchable archives of past messages. DistantCousin.com - AITKEN  Genealogy Family HistoryExplore free databases and genealogy links for the last name Aitken. GeneaNet - Aitken  RecordsGeneaNet includes archival records, family trees, and other resources for individuals with the Aitken  surname, with a concentration on records and families from France and other European countries. The Aitken  Genealogy and Family Tree PageBrowse genealogy records and links to genealogical and historical records for individuals with the Aitken  surname from the website of Genealogy Today.----------------------- References: Surname Meanings Origins Cottle, Basil.  Penguin Dictionary of Surnames. Baltimore, MD: Penguin Books, 1967. Dorward, David.  Scottish Surnames. Collins Celtic (Pocket edition), 1998. Fucilla, Joseph.  Our Italian Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 2003. Hanks, Patrick and Flavia Hodges.  A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1989. Hanks, Patrick.  Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press, 2003. Reaney, P.H.  A Dictionary of English Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1997. Smith, Elsdon C.  American Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997. Back to  Glossary of Surname Meanings Origins