Atchison is a Scots form of Atkinson, itself a patronymic surname meaning "son of Atkin." Atkin is a medieval diminutive of Adam, which comes from the Hebrew word for "man" (adam) or possibly from adam meaning "to be red," referring to human skin color. According to the Old Testament (Genesis 5:2), Adam was the first man created by God. Distribution and Historical Significance The surname Atchison is primarily Scottish in origin, reflecting the migration of names from England to Scotland during the Middle Ages. Notably, the name appears as the coinage of a Scottish copper coin coated with silver, worth eight Scots pennies, minted during the reign of James VI (according to historical numismatic sources). This coin, also called an "Atchison" or "Atcheson," sometimes gave rise to the nickname. In the United States, the name is well known through Atchison County, Kansas, and the city of Atchison, which serve as the county seat. The city is named after David Rice Atchison (1807–1886), a prominent U.S. Senator from Missouri who served as President pro tempore of the Senate and is sometimes (controversially) claimed to have been Acting President for a day in 1849. The founders sought to honor Atchison, who later became a namesake for the county. Additionally, the much larger Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway (now the BNSF Railway) derives its name from the cities of Atchison and Topeka, Kansas, cementing the name in American industrial history. Related Names and Variants The patronymic nature of the surname produced several related forms. Scottish cognates include Acheson and Aitken (also derived from a diminutive of Adam). The Irish form McAdams also traces to "son of Adam." In continental Europe, equivalent forms include Croatian Adamić, Slovak Adam/Adamová and Adamík, and Norwegian Adamsen. The name reflects widespread Western and Eastern Christian traditions of patronymic surnames derived from the biblical Adam. Meaning: Scottish patronymic meaning "son of Atkin," ultimately derived from the biblical Adam Origin: Scottish, with roots in England and wider Europe Usage: Surname (Scotland, England, United States); also a locational name in Kansas