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An excerpt from www.HouseOfNames.com archives copyright © 2000 - 2016
Akers is a name of ancient Norman origin. It arrived in England
with the Norman Conquest
of 1066. The Akers family lived in the county of Cumberland
. This surname was a local
name meaning the dweller at the acre
, or the dweller at the plot of arable land
The surname Akers was first found in the county of Cumberland
, where they were descended from one of two noble houses, the Lords D'Acre, called D'Acres of the North, and Lord D'Acre of Herstmonceux, called D'Acres of the South. Both of these noble branches originally settled at Dacre in Cumberland.
Multitudes of spelling variations are a hallmark of Anglo Norman names. Most of these names evolved in the 11th and 12th century, in the time after the Normans introduced their own Norman French language into a country where Old and Middle English had no spelling rules and the languages of the court were French and Latin. To make matters worse, medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, so names frequently appeared differently in the various documents in which they were recorded. The name was spelled Acre, Acres, Aker, Eaker, Eakers, Aiker, Aikers, Aikerson, Aker, Akers, Acker, Ackers, Ackhurst and many more.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Akers research. Another 235 words (17 lines of text) covering the years 1282, 1379, 1346, 1614, 1692, 1660, 1661, 1619 and 1700 are included under the topic Early Akers History in all our PDF Extended History products
Another 91 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Akers Notables in all our PDF Extended History products
Because of this political and religious unrest within English society, many people decided to immigrate to the colonies. Families left for Ireland
, North America, and Australia
in enormous numbers, travelling at high cost in extremely inhospitable conditions. The New World in particular was a desirable destination, but the long voyage caused many to arrive sick and starving. Those who made it, though, were welcomed by opportunities far greater than they had known at home in England
. Many of these families went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Akers or a variant listed above:
Akers Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
- Thomas Akers, who arrived in Charlestown, Massachusetts in 1651
- John Akers, who landed in Maryland in 1673
- Daniel Akers, who landed in America in 1685
- William Akers, who landed in West New Jersey in 1698
Akers Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
- Henrey Akers, aged 40, arrived in Pennsylvania in 1732
Akers Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- Isak Akers, aged 34, who settled in America, in 1892
Akers Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
- John Akers, aged 32, who landed in America from Durham, in 1902
- Bert Akers, aged 23, who landed in America from Norfolk, in 1903
- Charles Edmund Akers, aged 43, who settled in America from London, in 1903
- Charlotte Mabel Akers, aged 29, who emigrated to the United States from London, in 1903
- J.S. Akers, aged 49, who emigrated to the United States, in 1904
Akers Settlers in Australia in the 18th Century
- Thomas Akers arrived at Port Jackson, Australia aboard the "Charlotte" on Jan 26, 1788, as a convict with the "First Fleet"
Akers Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
- Joseph Akers, English convict from Middlesex, who was transported aboard the "Arab" on February 22, 1834, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Austraila
- Priscilla Akers arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "The Ascendant" in 1851
- John Fellows Akers (1934-2014), American businessman, President of IBM (1983-1989), CEO (1985-1993) and Chairman (1986-1993)
- Garfield Akers (1901-1953), American blues singer and guitarist
- Fred Akers (b. 1938), retired American college football player and coach
- Charles Wesley Akers (1920-2009), American historian, author, and educator
- William G. "Bill" Akers (1904-1962), American Major League Baseball infielder
- Charles H. Akers, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Arizona Territory, 1896, 1900
- Clive Akers, American Democrat politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Kentucky, 1956
- Earl Akers, American Republican politician, Kansas State Treasurer, 1913-17; Mayor of Topeka, Kansas, 1923-25
- Everett Akers, American Democrat politician, Member of Kentucky State House of Representatives 96th District, 1968-69
- Forest H. Akers (1886-1966), American Republican politician, Member of Michigan State Board of Agriculture, 1940-57
- Zieber, Eugene. Heraldry in America. Philadelphia: Genealogical Publishing Co. Print.
- Skordas, Guest. Ed. The Early Settlers of Maryland an Index to Names or Immigrants Complied from Records of Land Patents 1633-1680 in the Hall of Records Annapolis, Maryland. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1968. Print.
- Burke, Sir Bernard. General Armory Of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales. Ramsbury: Heraldry Today. Print.
- Browning, Charles H. Americans of Royal Descent. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing. Print.
- Weis, Frederick Lewis, Walter Lee Sheppard and David Faris. Ancestral Roots of Sixty Colonists Who Came to New England Between 1623 and 1650 7th Edition. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0806313676).
- Marcharn, Frederick George. A Constitutional History of Modern England 1485 to the Present. London: Harper and Brothers, 1960. Print.
- Hitching, F.K and S. Hitching. References to English Surnames in 1601-1602. Walton On Thames: 1910. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0181-3).
- Bullock, L.G. Historical Map of England and Wales. Edinburgh: Bartholomew and Son, 1971. Print.
- Burke, Sir Bernard. Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Peerage and Baronetage, The Privy Council, Knightage and Compainonage. London: Burke Publishing, 1921. Print.
- Burke, John Bernard Ed. The Roll of Battle Abbey. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing. Print.
The Akers Family Crest was acquired from the Houseofnames.com archives. The Akers Family Crest was drawn according to heraldic standards based on published blazons. We generally include the oldest published family crest once associated with each surname.
This page was last modified on 2 February 2016 at 09:58.
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