maybe someone has an idea

[Canada]

My last name is Achig. Anyone has any idea what is the origin> I have tried just about every place on the Web but cannot find anything. A grandfather appeared around 1910-1915 in Quito, Ecuador and everyone assumed he was from Spain, in spite of his unusual last name. He was tall, dark and handsome. He did not look like the rest of the Spaniards but more of a Mediteranian type. He told his story only to his wife, and she never shared it with anyone. Never talked about his family to anyone. To this day we all wonder where was he from and what name is that. If anyone has an idea I would be very happy to hear it. Thank you.

[MrHyeSev]

Re: maybe someone has an idea

Why dont you talk to your parents about this if you cant find anything on the net.

[Parskahye]

Re: maybe someone has an idea

My last name is Achig. Anyone has any idea what is the origin> I have tried just about every place on the Web but cannot find anything. A grandfather appeared around 1910-1915 in Quito, Ecuador and everyone assumed he was from Spain, in spite of his unusual last name. He was tall, dark and handsome. He did not look like the rest of the Spaniards but more of a Mediteranian type. He told his story only to his wife, and she never shared it with anyone. Never talked about his family to anyone. To this day we all wonder where was he from and what name is that. If anyone has an idea I would be very happy to hear it. Thank you.

Could it be...kACHIGian? Just kidding, but "achigan" (not achig) seems to mean "bass" in French. I'm not sure if it has anything to do with your name, but you never know.

[Canada]

Re: maybe someone has an idea

Thanks a lot for the replies. Apparently that is my husband's name and his grandparents and parents are dead. His granfather died when he was a baby and his grandmother when he was very yonge. His parents never talked about either. Unfortunately there is nobody to ask. His brothers are equally in the dark. You could be right, it could have been Achigian and then shortened to Achig. Guess the secret died with them and we are just left wondering where the name came from because it is almost non-existent. There are only about 7-8 Achigs on the web and they are all relatives from South America. Again, thanks for the replies.

[seruven]

Re: maybe someone has an idea

May I learn how you pronounce "achig"?

[Armenian]

Re: maybe someone has an idea

My last name is Achig. Anyone has any idea what is the origin> I have tried just about every place on the Web but cannot find anything. A grandfather appeared around 1910-1915 in Quito, Ecuador and everyone assumed he was from Spain, in spite of his unusual last name. He was tall, dark and handsome. He did not look like the rest of the Spaniards but more of a Mediteranian type. He told his story only to his wife, and she never shared it with anyone. Never talked about his family to anyone. To this day we all wonder where was he from and what name is that. If anyone has an idea I would be very happy to hear it. Thank you.

Many Armenians migrated to Ecuador, Venezuela and Argentina during the first half of the twentieth century, and many had stories they would rather forget than recount. The name Achig could very well be derived from the fairly common Armenian male name - Khachig. I have noticed that some Armenians in the West with that name either drop the kh or replace it with h or k to make it easier to pronounce. So, it is very probably that your grandfather was an Armenian fleeing the Ottoman Empire.

[Armanen]

Re: maybe someone has an idea

And may I ask what your ethnic background is?