Find out how popular the last name Atchison is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Atchison.

Atchison, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Atchison surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Atchison in America

Atchison is the 4338th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Atchison surname appeared 8,185 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Atchison.

We can also compare 2010 data for Atchison to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Atchison

The surname Atchison has its origins in Scotland, where it first emerged in the 16th century. It is derived from the Scottish place name Atchison, which comes from the Gaelic words "ath" meaning "ford" and "caissean" meaning "small stream." The name likely refers to someone who lived near a ford over a small stream.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Parish registers of Largs, Ayrshire, where a John Atchison is mentioned in 1593. Another early reference is in the Commissariot Record of Glasgow in 1613, which mentions a Robert Atchison.

The Atchison surname is also found in the Hearth Tax Rolls of Renfrewshire in 1695, indicating its presence in that region during the late 17th century. Some variations of the spelling include Atcheson, Atchason, and Atchinson.

Notable individuals with the surname Atchison throughout history include David Rice Atchison (1807-1886), a United States Senator from Missouri who served as President pro tempore of the United States Senate for 24 hours in 1849, making him the Acting President of the United States for the shortest term in history.

Another prominent figure was Reuben Atchison (1786-1858), an American politician and lawyer who served as a United States Senator from Missouri from 1843 to 1855. He was also a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1833 to 1837.

In the 18th century, George Atchison (1768-1847) was a British naval officer and explorer who served in the Royal Navy and later became a merchant seaman. He is known for his exploration of the Pacific Northwest and his encounter with the indigenous Nuu-chah-nulth people on the west coast of Vancouver Island.

William Atchison (1821-1905) was a Scottish-born Australian politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of New South Wales from 1869 to 1880. He was also a successful businessman and landowner in the Goulburn region.

Lastly, John Atchison (1734-1804) was a Scottish-born American planter and politician who served as a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses and later the Virginia General Assembly. He was a prominent figure in the early years of the United States and owned significant landholdings in Virginia.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Atchison

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Atchison.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Atchison was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Atchison has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Atchison was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Atchison, please contact us.

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