Acorn History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Etymology of Acorn

What does the name Acorn mean?

The name Acorn is of Anglo-Saxon origin and came from when a family lived in the village of Alchorne in the parish of Rotherfield, Sussex.

Early Origins of the Acorn family

The surname Acorn was first found in the county of Sussex, where they held a family seat from ancient times, long before the Norman Conquest of 1066.

Early History of the Acorn family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Acorn research. Another 101 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1066, 1476, 1541, 1591, 1687 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Acorn History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Acorn Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Acorn family name include Alcorn, Alcorne, Aldcorn, Aldcorne, Allcorn, Allcorne, Alchorn, Alchorne, Auldcorn, Auldcorne, Elcorn, Elcorne, Elchorne, Euldcorn, Euldchorne, Haldcorn, Halcorn and many more.

Early Notables of the Acorn family

More information is included under the topic Early Acorn Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Acorn family to Ireland

Some of the Acorn family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 60 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Acorn migration to Canada +

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, the Canadas, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Acorn surname or a spelling variation of the name include :

Acorn Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. John Acorn "Eichorn" U.E., United Empire Loyalist who settled in Canada c. 1783 1

Contemporary Notables of the name Acorn (post 1700) +

Milton James Rhode Acorn (1923-1986), Canadian poet, writer, and playwright from Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, nicknamed "The People's Poet," recipient of the Governor General's Award in 1976

Citations +

Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X