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

Atkinson, 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 Atkinson surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Atkinson in America

Atkinson is the 637th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Atkinson surname appeared 53,376 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 18 people would have the surname Atkinson.

We can also compare 2010 data for Atkinson 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 Atkinson

The surname Atkinson is of English origin, deriving from the Old English personal name "Atkin" or "Adkin," which was a diminutive form of the name Adam. This name was first recorded in the late 12th century in various regions of England, particularly in Yorkshire and Lancashire.

Atkinson is a patronymic surname, meaning it was originally formed by adding the suffix "-son" to the personal name Atkin or Adkin, essentially translating to "son of Atkin." This naming convention was common during the medieval period when surnames began to emerge as a way to distinguish individuals and families.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Atkinson can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1166, which mentions a person named Adam Atkinson. In the 13th century, the surname appeared in various spellings, such as Atkynson, Atkynsone, and Atkinsoun, reflecting the variations in pronunciation and spelling at the time.

The Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive record of landowners in England, does not contain any direct references to the surname Atkinson. However, it does list individuals with the personal name Adam, which could have been the basis for the later development of the surname Atkinson.

Notable historical figures with the surname Atkinson include:

1. Thomas Atkinson (1546-1639), an English mathematician and Fellow of Christ's College, Cambridge.
2. John Atkinson (1598-1628), an English writer and poet, best known for his work "The Passion of a Discontented Mind."
3. Joseph Atkinson (1743-1818), an English artist and engraver, known for his illustrations of Shakespeare's works.
4. Hannah Atkinson (1784-1859), an English Baptist missionary who served in India and played a significant role in promoting education for women.
5. Mary Atkinson (1836-1910), an English actress and playwright, renowned for her performances in various Shakespearean plays.

The name Atkinson has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Atkinson Close in Yorkshire and Atkinson's Bank in Lancashire, reflecting the historical presence of families with this surname in those regions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Atkinson

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

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 Atkinson 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 Atkinson 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 Atkinson was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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