The Hackland surname existed in Orkney for a period of 400 years. According to the book "Orkney Surnames" by Gregor Lamb, the first known record of the Hackland surname is that of Magnus Halkland of Hackland farm, Sandwick in the year 1579. The last Hackland was Miss Margaret Hackland, who was born at the farm of Drydale in the parish of Stromness, and died in the town of Stromness in the late 1970s a fairly old lady.
In the early records the spelling was usually Halkland but there were variations such as Haulkland. After 1800 the spelling mostly became Hackland.
