Weddington History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The name Weddington reached England in the great wave of migration following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Weddington family lived in Yorkshire, at Wadding. This was a local name, derived from the place-name Wadding. In general, local names were adopted by families when they moved to another area. This distinguished them from other people that had the same name. As people began moving closer together, it became more important to be able to identify people from one another.

Early Origins of the Weddington family

The surname Weddington was first found in Yorkshire where they were Lords of the manor of Waddington, a village and parish near Clitheroe. "It is natural to find the name crossing the border into Lancashire. This surname has ramified very strongly in the Northern counties." 1 Indeed another source claims the family did in fact originate in Lancashire: "The Waddingtons, who are also established in Lancashire, have their principal home in the West Riding, where occur a village and a seat of the name." 2

One of the first records of the family was Nicholas de Waddington, rector of the church of St. Elphin, Warrington, Lancashire in 1351. 3 The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 lists: Laurencius de Wadyngton; and Johannes de Wadyngton. 1

Early History of the Weddington family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Weddington research. Another 60 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1670, 1671, 1687, 1724 and 1731 are included under the topic Early Weddington History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Weddington Spelling Variations

Before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Sound was what guided spelling in the Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Weddington family name include Waddington, Waddleton, Waddingworth and others.

Early Notables of the Weddington family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Edward Waddington (1670?-1731), English divine, Bishop of Chichester, born in London in 1670 or 1671. "He was educated at Eton College, and was admitted a scholar of King's College, Cambridge, on 30 June 1687. On 11 Oct. 1724 he was...
Another 47 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Weddington Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Weddington Ranking

In the United States, the name Weddington is the 10,546^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 4

Migration of the Weddington family to Ireland

Some of the Weddington family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Weddington migration to the United States +

To escape the political and religious chaos of this era, thousands of English families began to migrate to the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. The passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe; however, those who made the voyage safely were encountered opportunities that were not available to them in their homeland. Many of the families that reached the New World at this time went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of the United States and Canada. Research into various historical records has revealed some of first members of the Weddington family to immigrate North America:

Weddington Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Nellie Weddington, aged 35, who settled in America, in 1922

Contemporary Notables of the name Weddington (post 1700) +

Sarah Ragle Weddington (1945-2021), American attorney, law professor, and member of the Texas House of Representatives, best known for representing "Jane Roe" (real name Norma McCorvey) in the landmark Roe v. Wade case before the United States Supreme Court
Mike Weddington (b. 1960), American retired NFL football linebacker who played for five seasons for the Green Bay Packers
W. Carlton Weddington (d. 2012), American politician, member of the Ohio House of Representatives for the 27th District
W. Carlton Weddington, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Ohio, 2008 5
James H. Weddington, American Democratic Party politician, Mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina, 1895-97; Postmaster at Charlotte, North Carolina, 1913-22 5

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
'Townships: Scarisbrick', in A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 3, ed. William Farrer and J Brownbill (London, 1907), pp. 265-276. British History Online http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/lancs/vol3/pp265-276 [accessed 21 January 2017].
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 19) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html