Deacon - Name

Recorded in several spelling forms including Deacon, Deecon, Deason, Deeson, Deasin, Deakin and Deakins, this interesting surname is Anglo-Scottish. It is or rather was at least in England an occupational name for a deacon, or perhaps for his servant. The derivation is from the Old English pre 7th century word "deakne", although ultimately the origin is from the late Latin word "diaconus" or the Ancient Greek "diakonos", meaning a friend or manservant. In the Catholic church a deacon is one ranking below an ordained minister, but in Scotland it very secular, being the president of an incorporated trade or body of craftsmen in a burgh. The surname is first recorded in the early 13th Century, with Richard le Deken, appearing in the Assize Court Rolls of Bedfordshire in 1247, Walter Dekne, a burgess of Perth, being granted safe conduct into England in 1291, and John Dekne, appearing in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1327. Later recordings include those of William Deakin and Ann Slatt who were married at St. Margarets, Westminster, on January 17th 1677. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Richard le Diakne. This was dated 1212, in the Pipe Rolls of Suffolk, during the reign of King John of England, 1199 - 1216. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.