Eakin last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Eakin

A Scottish and Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Aodhagáin," meaning "little fire" or "born of fire."

Eakin, 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 Eakin surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Eakin in America

Eakin is the 9013th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Eakin surname appeared 3,628 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Eakin.

We can also compare 2010 data for Eakin 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 9013 8223 9.17%
Count 3,628 3,707 -2.15%
Proportion per 100k 1.23 1.37 -10.77%

The history of the last name Eakin

The surname Eakin is of Scottish origin, derived from the Old English words "ea" meaning river and "kin" meaning kin or family. It is believed to have originated in the Borders region of Scotland, where the earliest recorded examples of the name were found.

The name first appeared in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which recorded those who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was William de Akeyn, who held lands in Berwickshire in the late 13th century.

In the 16th century, the spelling of the name evolved to its modern form of Eakin, and the name was found in various parts of Scotland, particularly in the counties of Ayrshire, Lanarkshire, and Renfrewshire. One notable bearer of the name was John Eakin, a merchant from Glasgow who was involved in the tobacco trade with the American colonies in the late 17th century.

The name Eakin is also associated with several place names in Scotland, such as Aikenhead in Renfrewshire and Aikenhauld in Lanarkshire. These place names are believed to have derived from the same Old English roots as the surname.

Several notable individuals throughout history have borne the surname Eakin, including:

  1. Thomas Eakin (1804-1859), an American painter known for his portraits and genre scenes.
  2. Robert Eakin (1836-1904), a Scottish-born American artist and architect.
  3. John Eakin (1870-1923), an Irish-born American businessman and politician who served as Mayor of Omaha, Nebraska.
  4. Mary Ann Eakin (1845-1924), an American educator and women's rights activist.
  5. Paul Eakin (1912-2001), an American artist and illustrator known for his depictions of the American West.

The surname Eakin has a rich history dating back to the medieval period in Scotland, and its bearers have made significant contributions in various fields over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Eakin

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

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 Eakin was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 95.01% 3,447
Non-Hispanic Black Only 0.36% 13
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.58% 21
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.55% 20
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 1.38% 50
Hispanic Origin 2.12% 77

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 Eakin has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 95.01% 95.85% -0.88%
Black 0.36% 0.46% -24.39%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.58% 0.59% -1.71%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.55% 0.59% -7.02%
Two or More Races 1.38% 1.03% 29.05%
Hispanic 2.12% 1.48% 35.56%

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

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

Reference this page

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If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Eakin last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on December 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/eakin-surname-popularity/.

"Eakin last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/eakin-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 December, 2024

Eakin last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/eakin-surname-popularity/.

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