This interesting Scottish name is a diminutive of Adam, the original Hebrew name meaning 'The Red Earth'. Aitken derives from 'Ad-kin', son of Ad(am) or Little Ad(am). The name Adam first appears in the 13th Century and Aitken shortly afterwards in Scotland. The name in its present form is, according to Patersons records, an old surname in the parish of Ballantrae, Ayrshire, and in Orkney it is believed to have replaced the Olde Norse name Haakon. Robert Aitken (1734 - 1832) born in Dalkeith, was commended by resolution of congress for printing of the Bible in the United States of America. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of John Akyne, which was dated 1405, Baines Records, Scotland, during the reign of King Robert the Stuart of Scotland, 1371 - 1420. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.