The surname Ackerman(n) had its origins in a person's occupation and referred to a cultivator of the ground, a farmer, husbandman, or ploughman. Today, the original use of the term is obsolete but its legacy as a family name lives on in several variations including, not only Ackerman and Ackermann, but also Akerman, Eckerman, and Ockerman. The dictionary focuses on men and women who were born with the Ackerman(n) surname, in any of its many variations. Most of these people lived during the 1700s and 1800s, although some lived as early as the Middle Ages or as recently as the 1900s. Individuals are listed alphabetically by first name and known biographical information is given in the subjects' entries. Data includes, where available, information on birth, marriage, and death dates and places; the names of parents, spouses, and children; occupation; residence; religious and political affiliations; military service; and education. New to this volume is the family group section, which collects three generations (or more) of a particular family into one chapter for the researchers' easier movement through those generations. The vast majority of information contained herein is new to this volume; however, corrections and additions to Volume 1 have been included.

This dictionary focuses on individuals born with the Ackerman(n) surname, in any of its variations including: Accerman, Acerman, Acherman, Ackermen, Ackermin, Ackkermann, Acraman, Acreman, Acremen, Aikerman, Akarman, Akerman, Akkerman, Akkermans, Akreman,