Samuel Aitken (19 May 1878 – 7 March 1930) was a Scottish footballer who played in the English Football League for Ayr and Middlesbrough before the First World War. Aitken was born in Ayr, the son of John Aitken, a carter, and Jessie Mitchell Aitken. Aitken served as captain for the Ayr team through 1903, and was described by the Dundee Evening Telegraph in 1902, "Sam Aitken at centre half-back is of the Anderson, Kilmarnock, type, here, there, and everywhere following up the ball, never seeming to be content unless in close touch with operations."