Aki

Male
CPL
4 of 5

Discussion of the name

Aki is a masculine name which evidently originated in the Danish islands as a diminutive (Insley 1994: 4, correcting Fellows Jensen 1968: 5). There is no certain example of its use in England before the time of the Danish kings in the eleventh century (Aki 2 = Aki 4): what has been cited as an earlier instance rests on the slender evidence of a possible interpretation of a corrupt and difficult passage in a will of the mid tenth century (Aki 1; S 1526; Whitelock 1930: no. 1).

The place-name evidence can be read as reinforcing the idea that the name was not known in England until quite late in the Anglo-Saxon period, since its only occurrences in major names are in Achebi in Richmondshire (Yorks. 6N:120; Fellows Jensen 1968: 3–5), the Derbyshire hamlet of Oakthorpe (Derb. 14:10; Insley 1994: 4), and the small coastal Suffolk vill of Akethorpe (Suff. 1:56; Insley 1994: 4). All three were low status and conceivably late-founded vills, the first a berewick which did not survive, and the last two with very low assessments in 1086 (6 bovates and 80 acres respectively); none of the three was a vill in 1334 or a parish at any time.

Once introduced, the name may have caught on quickly, since there were probably four TRE landowners, and several dozen persons bearing the name are recorded in twelfth- and early-thirteenth century Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Norfolk (Fellows Jensen 1968: 3–5; Insley 1994: 2–4).

Bibliography

Fellows Jensen 1968: Gillian Fellows Jensen, Scandinavian Personal Names in Lincolnshire and Yorkshire (Copenhagen: I Kommission hos Akademisk Forlag, 1968)

Insley 1994: John Insley, Scandinavian Personal Names in Norfolk: A Survey based on Medieval Records and Place-Names, Acta Academiae Regiae Gustavi Adolphi 62 (Uppsala, 1994)

S: P. H. Sawyer, Anglo-Saxon Charters: An Annotated List and Bibliography, Royal Historical Society Guides and Handbooks 8 (London, 1968), revised by S. Kelly, R. Rushforth et al., The Electronic Sawyer: Online Catalogue of Anglo-Saxon Charters, published online through Kemble: The Anglo-Saxon Charters Website, currently at http://www.esawyer.org.uk/about/index.html 

Whitelock 1930: Anglo-Saxon Wills, ed. and trans. Dorothy Whitelock (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1930)

Forms of the name

Spellings in Domesday Book: Achi(us); Achil, Aki(us), Anschillus, Aschil

Spellings in ICC: Achillus

Forms in modern scholarship:

  von Feilitzen head forms: Aki, Ake

  Phillimore edition: Aki

  Alecto edition: Aki

Note: The spellings Anschillus and Aschil are erroneous forms when they stand for Achi, as they normally represent the name Eskil.

Distribution map of property and lordships associated with this name in DB

List of property and lordships associated with this name in DB

Holder 1066

Shire Phil. ref. Vill DB Spelling Holder 1066 Lord 1066 Tenant-in-Chief 1086 1086 Subtenant Fiscal Value 1066 Value 1086 Value Conf. Show on Map
Berkshire 44,4 Harwell Achi Aki the Dane - Roger d'Ivry - 5.00 5.00 6.00 C Map
Berkshire 62,1 West Hendred Achi Aki the Dane - Grimbald the goldsmith - 5.00 4.00 4.00 C Map
Cambridgeshire 17,4 Harlton Achi Aki the Dane Edward, king Walter Giffard Walter fitzAubrey 3.50 7.00 6.13 B Map
Cambridgeshire 17,5 Barrington Achi Aki the Dane Harold, earl Walter Giffard Walter fitzAubrey 0.33 0.50 0.50 B Map
Cambridgeshire 17,6 Orwell Achi Aki the Dane Harold, earl Walter Giffard Walter fitzAubrey 0.25 0.14 0.10 B Map
Essex 24,45 Notley Achius Aki the Dane - Swein of Essex Godbald 'of Nayland' 0.75 2.00 3.00 E Map
Essex 53,1 Great Easton Achius Aki the Dane - Matthew de Mortagne - 5.00 10.00 15.00 E Map
Essex 53,2 Margaretting Anschillus Aki the Dane - Matthew de Mortagne - 5.00 5.00 6.00 E Map
Hertfordshire 20,13 Westmill Achi Aki the Dane Harold, earl Robert Gernon Ansketil 'the man of Robert Gernon' 7.25 20.00 17.00 B Map
Hertfordshire 22,1 Flamstead Achi Aki the Dane Edward, king Ralph de Tosny - 4.00 12.00 11.00 B Map
Hertfordshire 37,22 Bramfield Achi Aki the Dane Harold, earl Hardwin de Scales - 5.00 5.00 4.00 B Map
Hertfordshire B10 Hertford Achi Aki the Dane - William, king Hardwin de Scales 0.00 0.00 0.00 B Map
Huntingdonshire 17,1 Covington Aschil Aki the Dane - Roger d'Ivry - 8.50 8.00 10.00 E Map
Huntingdonshire 19,16 Winwick Aschil Aki the Dane - Eustace the sheriff Odilard the larderer 2.50 2.00 2.00 E Map
Lincolnshire 38,1 Thornton Achi Aki son of Siward - Robert the bursar - 3.00 5.00 5.00 A Map
Lincolnshire 38,13 Haltham Achi Aki son of Siward - Robert the bursar - 2.25 1.50 1.50 A Map
Lincolnshire 38,14 Fulstow Aschil Aki son of Siward - Robert the bursar - 1.75 5.00 1.50 B Map
Lincolnshire CS34 Coningsby Achi Aki son of Siward - Ketilbern 'of Keal' - 0.00 0.00 0.00 A Map
Lincolnshire T5 - Achi Aki son of Siward - - - 0.00 0.00 0.00 A Map
Middlesex 17,1 Laleham Achi Aki the Dane Edward, king Robert Blund Estrild the nun 8.00 6.00 3.00 A Map
Northamptonshire 33,1 Grafton Underwood Achi Aki the Dane - Robert Blund Roger 'of Grafton Underwood' 3.00 2.00 2.00 A Map
Northamptonshire 55,4 Winwick Achi Aki the Dane - Eustace the sheriff Odilard the larderer 0.50 0.50 2.00 E Map
Staffordshire 11,8 Walton Achil Aki 'of Walton' - Robert of Stafford Arnold 'of Morton Underhill' 3.00 3.00 3.00 C Map
Staffordshire 1,35 Oakley Achi Aki 'of Walton' - William, king - 1.00 0.00 0.00 C Map
Suffolk 66,1 Ixworth Achius Aki the Dane - Robert Blund - 3.00 4.00 6.00 A Map
Suffolk 66,13 Gislingham Achi Aki the Dane - Robert Blund - 0.25 0.33 0.33 A Map
Suffolk 66,15 Finningham - Aki the Dane - Robert Blund - 0.02 0.00 0.00 A Map
Suffolk 66,2 Walsham le Willows Achius Aki the Dane - Robert Blund - 2.00 2.00 3.00 A Map
Suffolk 66,3 Great Ashfield Achius Aki the Dane - Robert Blund - 3.00 3.00 3.00 A Map
Suffolk 66,4 Wyken Akius Aki the Dane - Robert Blund - 1.00 1.50 1.50 A Map
Suffolk 6,85 Westleton Aki Aki the Dane - Robert Malet Gilbert Blund 4.00 5.00 5.00 C Map
Warwickshire 12,9 Romsley, Staffs. Achi Aki 'of Rushock' - Roger, earl Walter 'the man of Earl Roger' 1.00 1.50 2.00 C Map
Wiltshire 24,21 Broad Blunsdon Achi Aki the Dane - Edward of Salisbury Robert 'the man of Edward of Salisbury' 5.00 2.00 3.00 C Map
Wiltshire 60,1 West Lavington - Aki the Dane - Robert Blund 2 sons-in-law of Robert Blund 7.25 10.88 8.70 A Map
Wiltshire 60,1 West Lavington Achi Aki the Dane - Robert Blund - 2.75 4.13 3.30 A Map
Wiltshire 66,7 Selkley Achil Aki the Dane - Stephen the carpenter, king's serjeant - 3.00 1.00 2.00 C Map
Worcestershire 26,6 Rushock Achil Aki 'of Rushock' - Urse d'Abetot Hunulf 'of Rushock' 5.00 2.50 1.50 C Map
Totals

Lord 1066

Shire Phil. ref. Vill DB Spelling Holder 1066 Lord 1066 Tenant-in-Chief 1086 1086 Subtenant Fiscal Value 1066 Value 1086 Value Conf. Show on Map
Cambridgeshire 17,4 Harlton - 4 sokemen, men of Aki the Dane Aki the Dane, thegn of Edward, king Walter Giffard Walter fitzAubrey 0.38 0.75 0.66 B Map
Lincolnshire 38,2 Roughton - - Aki Robert the bursar - 1.50 0.00 0.00 A Map
Suffolk 66,13 Gislingham Achius Godric 'of Gislingham' Aki the Dane, thegn of Edward, king Robert Blund - 0.15 0.26 0.26 A Map
Suffolk 66,13 Gislingham Achius Ælfgar 'of Gislingham' Aki the Dane, thegn of Edward, king Robert Blund - 0.15 0.26 0.26 A Map
Suffolk 66,13 Gislingham Achius Godwine 'of Gislingham' Aki the Dane, thegn of Edward, king Robert Blund - 0.15 0.26 0.26 A Map
Suffolk 66,14 Westhorpe Achi 4 free men Aki the Dane, thegn of Edward, king Robert Blund - 0.04 0.07 0.07 A Map
Suffolk 66,16 Wyverstone Achi 2 free men Aki the Dane, thegn of Edward, king Robert Blund Robert Ouethel 0.25 0.25 0.25 A Map
Suffolk 66,3 Great Ashfield - Ketil 'of Great Ashfield' Aki the Dane, thegn of Edward, king Robert Blund William Blund 1.00 1.50 1.50 A Map
Totals