Surname:Eakin

This name and its related names are primarily from Scotland and from the Scots-Irish families in Northern Ireland, and then to their diaspora. There are many more "A"-based variants such as Akin, Aitkin, Akens, etc [although Atkins does not seem to be related]that share roughly the same pronunciation as Eakin.

The 'Eakin' spelling seems to be specific to family lines spreading from Derry in Northern Ireland. See Electric Scotland [1] for an interesting paragraph on slightly different Eakin spellings from different parts of Northern Ireland, as well as for information on the Aiken-related surnames in Scotland.

I posted a question at the watercooler about appropriate sourcing. When I get an answer, I'll put in the other common spelling variants I'm aware of.