# Atkinson (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/atkinson/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname from Middle English [in turn originating as a patronymic] meaning "son of Atkin", a Middle English diminutive of Adam.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | not recorded |
| Type | patronymic, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 53,376 |
| US rank (2010) | 637 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 5,784 people |
| Change since 2000 | +3.7% (51,489 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /ˈætkɪnsən/, 3 syllables |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Etymology

From Atkin or Atkins + -son.

## Who carries it

Share of people named Atkinson in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 79% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 14% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 3.9% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.6% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.6% |
| Two or more races | 1.7% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Atkinson in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Spain.

## People named Atkinson

- Gemma Atkinson, British actress and model
- Nathaniel Atkinson, Australian association football player
- Jayne Atkinson, British actress
- Anthony Barnes Atkinson, British economist (1944–2017)
- Ti-Grace Atkinson, American feminist author
- Kenny Atkinson, American basketball coach
- Bill Atkinson, American computer engineer, programmer, and photographer (1951–2025)
- Chris Atkinson, Australian rally driver
- Louisa Atkinson, Anglo-Australian writer, illustrator and botanical collector (1834-1872)
- George Francis Atkinson, American botanist (1854-1918)
- Brooks Atkinson, American critic (1894–1984)
- Ashlie Atkinson, American actress

and 10 more on Wikidata.

## Similar surnames

Adkinson, Adkins, Atkins, Atkin, Addison, Aitken.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.