Show ContentsHadlock History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The history of the Hadlock family goes back to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It is derived from the family living near Hadlow, a place-name found in Kent and the West Riding of Yorkshire. The place-name Hadlow is derived from the Old English elements hæth, which meant heather, and hlaw, which meant small hill. The place-name as a whole means "small hill where the heather grows." The original bearers of the name probably lived on or near such a hill. [1]

Early Origins of the Hadlock family

The surname Hadlock was first found in Kent at Hadlow, a village in the Medway valley, near Tonbridge which dates back to the Domesday Book where it was listed as Haslow and was held by Richard de Tonebridge. [2] By 1235, the village was known as Hadlou. [1]

Hadlow Castle was built in the late 1780s and is now listed as a Grade I listed country house and tower. Hadlow Tower, known locally as May's Folly, is a Victorian Gothic tower, and one of the largest in Britain.

Early History of the Hadlock family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hadlock research. Another 101 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1670, 1685, 1686, 1692, 1694, 1699, 1707, 1747 and 1748 are included under the topic Early Hadlock History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hadlock Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Hadlock include Hadlow, Hadlo, Hadelow, Hadloe, Hadllow, Hadlowe, Hadlough and many more.

Early Notables of the Hadlock family

Distinguished members of the family include John de Hadlo of Kent, a distinguished landholder during the reign of Edward 1st.James Hadow (1670?-1747),was a Scottish controversial writer, born in the parish of Douglas, Lanarkshire, probably before 1670. We presume he is the same James Hadow who published two Latin theses at Utrecht in 1685 and 1686 respectively and was accordingly educated abroad...
Another 60 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Hadlock Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hadlock Ranking

In the United States, the name Hadlock is the 9,327th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. [3]


United States Hadlock migration to the United States +

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Hadlock or a variant listed above:

Hadlock Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Nathaniel Hadlock, who landed in Charlestown, Massachusetts in 1646 [4]

Contemporary Notables of the name Hadlock (post 1700) +

  • Ryan Hadlock (b. 1978), American record producer


  1. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  2. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  3. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  4. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)


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