Aitken Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Aitken last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
Order your pack and our heraldry team researches and paints the Aitken coat of arms for you.
Meaning and origin of the Aitken last name
Meaning of the Aitken last name: little Adam. Aitken is a Scottish surname from Adkin, a pet form of Adam with the diminutive -kin. It is the Scottish match of the English Atkin and Atkins. The last name is common in the Lowlands, and Max Aitken, later Lord Beaverbrook, the press baron, made it well known.
Arms associated with the Aitken name
In Scottish heraldry, coats of arms associated with the Aitken name are personal, each with its own blazon.
Get your full Aitken family history
This is only a glimpse of the Aitken story. The full Aitken history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted Aitken coat of arms. Get the full Aitken report.
Aitken name FAQ
What does the Aitken name mean?
Little Adam. Common variants include Aitkin, Atkin.
Where does the Aitken surname come from?
It originates in Scotland, and is also found in the United States, Canada and Australia.
Is there a Aitken coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Aitken coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Sources: George F. Black, The Surnames of Scotland (New York Public Library, 1946); Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford).