The Dean and Chapter of York Minster owned Acomb, which predates the Norman Conquest and is referenced in the Domesday Book. It is York's biggest suburban region. The name suggests that the old settlement was initially founded in a densely forested region of oaks and is probably derived from the Old English acum, which means 'at the oak trees'. The village's name is written both Achum and Acum in the Domesday book, and throughout the course of the next century, it was also spelt Achu, Acun, Akum, and Acham. The spellings Acome, Acorn, and Akome date back to the 13th century, while Akam and Acombe date back to the 15th century. The invention of printing made it possible for spellings to become standardised to their current state. The name was pronounced "Yackam" in the past.

Roman Era

According to some historians, the Roman Emperor Septimius Severus, who died in York (then Eboracum) in AD 211, was cremated in a military funeral close to the location of present-day Acomb.

10th and 11th century

The settlement of Acomb was made a manor during the time of Edward the Confessor. The entry for Acomb in the Domesday Book indicated that the archbishop had authority over the majority of the territory in Acomb, including the manor. The settlement measured two carucates, which was the unit of measurement for land at the time.

12th to 16th century

St. Stephen's Church was constructed in the 12th century and had dimensions of 52 by 25 feet. A new, rather bigger edifice was constructed in 1832, replacing the earlier construction. The king's regulations of the woods applied to Acomb Manor, which was covered in woodland at the time of the Norman conquest. The people of Acomb paid 80 pounds to King John and 19 pounds and 11 pence to King Richard I in order to be exempt from these regulations. The region experienced deforestation shortly after King John's rule. From 1220 until 1538, the master of Acomb's manor was referred to as the treasurer instead of the archbishop. With this modification, the diocese's bishop no longer had jurisdiction over Acomb Manor and its church. The treasurer had the authority to convene court, issue letters of administration for dying people, award marriage licenses, and probate wills. When Edward VI assumed the kingdom, the position of treasurer was abolished. The York Church turned up the Peculiar Court of Acomb to the Crown in 1547. In 1609, Thomas Newark Esq. was given the court by King James I.

The settlement, which was composed of nearby farms and smallholdings, was typical of 14th-century Anglo-Saxon communities. In order to finance his military aspirations on the continent, the monarch started soliciting donations from local businessmen during the reign of Edward III. Due to their role in creating a virtual monopoly in the English wool market by excluding imports, several Yorkshire wool merchants were heavily involved. A local farmer from the village named John de Acomb made an independent contribution to the loan arrangements that Edward III established in order to employ the funds, but the endeavour eventually failed.

The governors of the mediaeval hospital of St Leonard lived at Acomb Grange; Henry II had donated the property to the Order. Following the Reformation, George Gale, the York MP at the time, leased the Grange in 1552. Gale Lane is named for the family, who finally purchased the freehold during James I's reign and continued to possess properties and structures in the region until the late 20th century. Acomb has two timber-framed homes from the 15th century.

17th to 19th century

The archbishops of the church regained possession of Acomb Manor between 1623 until 1855. According to an early census conducted in 1670, there were 230 people living in 41 families at Acomb Manor, with 10 being wealthy, 60 being middle class, and 160 being poor. In the early 19th century, Acomb's population increased gradually, from 587 in 1801 to 762 about 30 years later. Many of the workers of the former railway carriageworks, which were constructed in the surrounding suburb of Holgate and around Leeman Road in 1854, resided in nearby Acomb and contributed to the village's development. To make room for the rail, the North Eastern Railway Company purchased a piece of Acomb Manor's land. Less than 1,000 people lived in the village of Acomb as per the 1871 census. Prior to becoming a separate district council in 1894, Acomb was a member of the Great Ouseburn district council. For £20,500 in 1855, Frances Barlow purchased the manor as it was then, including the main house. Since the lordship of Acomb ended in 1925, Mr. Algernon Barlow, his successor, was the final lord. When Acomb was amalgamated into the City of York in 1937, its population was projected to have increased to 7,500. The 1951 census revealed that 16,235 people, more than twice as many, now resided within its borders.

Established in 1846, the York New Waterworks Company constructed its new facility at Acomb Landing, which is located in nearby Holgate, just off Boroughbridge Road. Its purpose was to supply Acomb, York, and other surrounding communities. Since then, the location has grown, but The York Waterworks Company continues to operate there. Acomb did not receive gas until 1844, when the York Union Gas Light Company and the York Gas Light Company merged. After an application was approved by the Board of Trade and the District Council, Acomb received electricity for the first time in 1913.

20th century

Acomb Hall was acquired by the Corporation of York in 1920 in order to offer maternity services in the city. When maternity facilities in Fulford opened in 1954, the Maternity Hospital, which had opened in 1922, was reclassified for geriatric treatment.

The Regent Cinema in Acomb, which is situated directly on the border between Acomb and Holgate, opened on February 12, 1934. It included one balcony and 899 seats spread across stalls. It had declining attendance in the 1950s, like many other movie theatres in the nation, and closed on April 4, 1959. "Sierra Baron" was the final film screened.