This unusual surname has an equally unusual history. It is of Norse-Viking pre 10th century origins and is one of the very few surnames to be recorded in the 1086 Domesday Book (see below). It is in fact a diminutive and it translates as "The son of Haki", the "h" in the way of things English being generally lost over the centuries, although still found in the name "Hackett." In fact the name forms include Hackett, Haggett, Acket, Akit, and Acutt, it generally being considered that the three latter spellings originate in the North, although this is arguable. It has been suggested that the surnames Acott and Alcock come from the same root, but this seems unlikely. The name development is quite conclusive and follows a pattern of change as it moves across country from East to West. Examples of the name recording include Roland Haket in the 1179 pipe rolls of Lincoln,and Geoffrey Achet in the Yorkshire rolls of 1191. Later examples include Agnes Aikitt, who married John Dishforth at Ryther, Yorkshire on July 6th 1567, Robert Acutt of London, who married Sarah Walker at the famous church of St. Katherines by the Tower, on July 9th 1751, and Henry Acutt, the son of John Acutt, christened at Bideford, Devon, on November 24th 1787, in the reign of George 111 (1760 - 1820). The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Walter Achet, which was dated 1086, The Domesday Book for Berkshire, during the reign of King William 1, known as "The Conqueror" 1066 - 1087. 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.

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