Show ContentsKiddy History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The history of the ancestors of the Kiddy family begins among the Pictish clans ancient Scotland. The name Kiddy comes from the Gaelic surname Mac Adaidh, which means son of Adam. Addie, Addy, Adie, Eadie, Eddie, and Edie are all pet forms or double diminutives of the name Adam.

Early Origins of the Kiddy family

The surname Kiddy was first found in Perthshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Pheairt) former county in the present day Council Area of Perth and Kinross, located in central Scotland, where they held a family seat at Strathardle, in the valley of the Ardle Water.

The first of the Clan was Gillimichael M'Ade, famous in Strathardle tradition, who was alive in 1232. The name took on many forms as it emerged from the original Gaelic. MacAddie, MacKeddie, MacChaddy, and when it became fashionable to drop the Mac it became Addie, Keddie, Chaddy, even MacKiddie, and so on.

Their home and clan seat was deep in the forest of Strathardle at Petcarene. Some members of the Fergusons of the Balmacruchie became McAdies.

ONe of the first records of the family was "the ship of John Kede, a Scotsman, was wrecked at Holkham, Norfolk, England, in 1388," 1 but from that early recording we must wait almost two centuries to find the next. The same source note that "John Kady was in record in Dysart, 1577, Margaret Keddie in Falsyde, parish of Roberton, 1623, and Dorathia Kadie, was heir of Alexander Kadie, tailor in Edinburgh, 1616. " 1

Early History of the Kiddy family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Kiddy research. Another 121 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1635, 1639, 1647, 1664 and 1670 are included under the topic Early Kiddy History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kiddy Spelling Variations

Prior to the invention of the printing press in the last hundred years, documents were basically unique. Names were written according to sound, and often appeared differently each time they were recorded. Spelling variations of the name Kiddy include MacAddie, McAddie, MacKeddie, McKeddy, MacKiddie, McKiddie, MacKedy, McKedy, MacKeddey, McKeddey, MacAdie, McAdie, Keddy, Keddie, Cheddy, Cheddie, Keddey, Kedy, Kiddie, Kiddy, Cheddey, MacEddie, McEddie, MacEddy, McEddy, Kede, Ceddy, Keddie, MacAdie and many more.

Early Notables of the Kiddy family

More information is included under the topic Early Kiddy Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Kiddy family

The freedom of the North American colonies was enticing, and many Scots left to make the great crossing. It was a long and hard journey, but its reward was a place where there was more land than people and tolerance was far easier to come by. Many of these people came together to fight for a new nation in the American War of Independence, while others remained loyal to the old order as United Empire Loyalists. The ancestors of Scots in North America have recovered much of this heritage in the 20th century through Clan societies and other such organizations. A search of immigration and passenger lists revealed many important and early immigrants to North America bearing the name of Kiddy: James Kedie arrived in Pennsylvania in 1799.


Contemporary Notables of the name Kiddy (post 1700) +

  • Lila M. Kiddy, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Florida, 1928 2


  1. Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
  2. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 6) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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