The Atchison surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 8,185 people carried this name — #4,338 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 36,100 people counted. That is up 4% from 7,879 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Atchison surname

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a baptismal name, from a given name: ‘the son of Adam’ — the first of the origins he gives.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 66 · public domain.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

36 families named Atchison, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 216 people lived in those households, 6 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 9 other spellings. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Virginia 11
Pennsylvania 10
Maryland 6
Massachusetts 2
Connecticut 2
South Carolina 2
New Hampshire 1
Vermont 1
New York 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 227 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Atchison in American newspapers,
1882–1906.

Newspaper page from Fergus County Democrat carrying the name Atchison
Fergus County Democrat 1906-11-06
Newspaper page from Rocky Mountain Husbandman carrying the name Atchison
Rocky Mountain Husbandman 1882-11-16
Newspaper page from Fergus County Argus carrying the name Atchison
Fergus County Argus 1906-11-07

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 184,114 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Atchison in Australian newspapers,
1830s–1990s.

3,937 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Atchison. The most, 942, date from the 1880s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in Victoria, at 1.8 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Victoria 1,638
New South Wales 1,551
Queensland 467
South Australia 211
Tasmania 42
Western Australia 15
ACT (Canberra) 11

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Atchison.

Who carried it

People named Atchison,
with a public archive behind them.

  • David Rice Atchison
    David Rice Atchison 1807–1886 · judge
  • Charles Atchison 1847–1912
  • Ida May Clendenin 1860–1925 · teacher
  • Louise Atchison Ronnow 1874–1915
  • Charles Atchison 1876–
  • Evelyn Atchison 1877–

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Atchison,
in the records of 5 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States609 records

609 records of the Atchison name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 296
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 132
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 87
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 45
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 25
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 18
  • Irish Famine arrivals at New York, 1846–1851 4
  • U.S. service members who died in the Korean War 1
  • U.S. service members who died in the Vietnam War 1
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Harold Atchison

    Born 1919 in Rhode Island. Enlisted 1943 at Providence; driver from Providence County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1997, buried at Rhode Island Veterans Cemetery, Exeter, Rhode Island.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record James Mitchell Atchison

    Born 1945; from Frederick, Maryland. U.S. Army, helicopter pilot; killed in action 1970 in Tay Ninh, South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Susan Atchison

    Arrived at New York in 1872 aboard the Abyssinia from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 35; matron. From England.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 609 records for Atchison in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia192 records

192 records of the Atchison name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 83
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 60
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 30
  • NSW convict, estate and railway indexes 10
  • Tasmanian Names Index 9
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record John Atchison

    Arrived in Victoria in 1887 aboard the Hohenzollern, aged 42; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Herbert Thomas Atchison

    Retired blacksmith of Casterton, Victoria; died 1992.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Hannah Atchison

    Died 1881 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 63.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 192 records for Atchison in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Canada39 records

39 records of the Atchison name in Canada
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 17
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 9
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 8
  • City of Winnipeg cemetery records 4
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 1
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Roy Gordon Atchison

    Died 1963; buried at Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver, British Columbia.

    City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver.
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Frank Ellsworth Atchison

    Died 1943 in Margaretsville, Annapolis, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  3. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record Arden Joseph Atchison

    Died in service in 1950.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.

Showing 3 of 39 records for Atchison in Canada.

Counts: City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

United Kingdom2 records

2 records of the Atchison name in the United Kingdom War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record T. Atchison

    Durham Light Infantry. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record T. A. Atchison

    York and Lancaster Regiment. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Netherlands1 record

1 record of the Atchison name in the Netherlands Dutch church registers before 1811
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Andrew Atchison

    Married in 1728 in Rotterdam; born in Cumbertrees in Schotland.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Atchison.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Atchison is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

See the Atchison volume
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