Show ContentsSadd History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Sadd is an ancient Norman name that arrived in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Sadd family lived in Leicestershire, at Sadington, from whence they took their name.

Early Origins of the Sadd family

The surname Sadd was first found in Leicestershire where they held a family seat as Lords of the manor of Sadington, a village and parish in that shire. At the time of the taking of the Domesday Book, 1 a census initiated by Duke William of Normandy in 1086 after his conquest of England at Hastings in 1066, in the survey Sadington was shown to be King's land, and consisted of a mill, and a hamlet. The village was anciently called Setintone in pre-conquest days. 2

One of the first records of the family was Sir Robert de Sadington (fl. 1340), English Chancellor, "was no doubt a native of Sadington in Leicestershire, and perhaps a son of John de Sadington, a valet of Isabella, wife of Edward II." 3 He may be the Robert de Sadington who was named by Joan de Multon to seek and receive her dower in chancery in January 1317. On 20 March 1334 he was appointed Chief Baron of the Exchequer, and appears to have been the first chief Baron who was summoned to parliament by that title.

Early History of the Sadd family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Sadd research. Another 153 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1327, 1569, 1608, 1634, 1658, 1671 and 1679 are included under the topic Early Sadd History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sadd Spelling Variations

Norman surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are largely due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England, as well as the official court languages of Latin and French, also had pronounced influences on the spelling of surnames. Since medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings. The name has been spelled Sadington, Saddington, Sadingtone, Saddingtone, Sadingtown and many more.

Early Notables of the Sadd family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

  • John Saddington (c.1634-1679), a Muggletonian writer and London sugar merchant, originally from Arnesby, Leicestershire. He was among the earliest adherents to the system of John Reeve (1608-1658) and...


United States Sadd migration to the United States +

Many English families emigrated to North American colonies in order to escape the political chaos in Britain at this time. Unfortunately, many English families made the trip to the New World 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 stormy Atlantic. Despite these hardships, many of the families prospered and went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the United States and Canada. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the name Sadd or a variant listed above:

Sadd Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Mr. Richard Sadd, aged 23, from England who arrived in Virginia aboard the ship "America" arriving in June 1635 4
  • Richard Sadd, who landed in Virginia in 1638 4
  • Edward Sadd, who arrived in Maryland in 1661 4
Sadd Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Samuel Sadd, who landed in New York in 1842 4

Australia Sadd migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Sadd Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. William Sadd, (b. 1801), aged 33, English farm labourer who was convicted in Wiltshire, England for life for stealing, transported aboard the "Augusta Jessie" on 27 September 1834, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 5
  • Mr. Robert Sadd, (b. 1823), aged 29, English labourer who was convicted in Norwich, Norfolk, England for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Equestrian" on 27th August 1852, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Island), he died in 1868 6

New Zealand Sadd migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Sadd Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Miss Naomi Sadd, (b. 1838), aged 29, British domestic servant travelling from London aboard the ship 'Mermaid' arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 3rd January 1868 7

North Sea Flood
  • Iris Evelyn Sadd, British citizen, living in Fellixstowe, England,killed in the North Sea Flood, a major storm surge in 1953
  • Patricia Margaret Sadd, British citizen, living in Fellixstowe, England,killed in the North Sea Flood, a major storm surge in 1953


  1. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  2. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  3. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  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)
  5. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th August 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/augusta-jessie
  6. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th May 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/equestrian
  7. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html


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