Show ContentsCadwalyder History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Brythonic in origin, the name of Cadwalyder came from the rugged landscape of Wales. The name is from the Welsh personal name Cadwaladyr. In Old Welsh, this name was Catguallon. Both Cornish and Breton, which along with Welsh, make up the family of Brythonic Celtic languages have cognate forms of this name; the Cornish form is Caduualant, and the Old Breton form is Catuualon.

Early Origins of the Cadwalyder family

The surname Cadwalyder was first found in Harlech, where they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D. According to legend, this ancient family is descended from Cadwaladr (d. circa 664) Welsh King of Gwynedd, leader of the Celtic resistance against the Anglo-Saxons. Later accounts have made him a national hero, a Saint, and called him the last of the Kings of Briton. 1

Cadwaladr (d. 1173), the son of Gruffudd, the son of Cynan, "was the son and the brother of the two most famous north Welsh princes of their time. During his father's lifetime he accompanied his elder brother, Owain, on many predatory excursions against rival princes. In 1121 they ravaged Meirionydd, and apparently conquered it. In 1135 and 1136 they led three successful expeditions to Ceredigion, and managed to get possession of at least the northern portion of that district. " 1

Early History of the Cadwalyder family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cadwalyder research. Another 73 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1520, 1568, 1590, 1610, 1666 and 1690 are included under the topic Early Cadwalyder History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cadwalyder Spelling Variations

There are relatively few surnames native to Wales, but they have an inordinately large number of spelling variations. Early variations of Welsh surnames can be explained by the fact that very few people in the early Middle Ages were literate. Priests and the few other literate people were responsible for recording names in official documents. And because most people could not specific how to properly record their names it was up to the individual recorder of that time to determine how a spoken name should be recorded. Variations due to the imprecise or improper recording of a name continued later in history when names originally composed in the Brythonic Celtic, language of Wales, known by natives as Cymraeg, were transliterated into English. Welsh names that were documented in English often changed dramatically since the native language of Wales, which was highly inflected, did not copy well. Occasionally, however, spelling variations were carried out according to an individual's specific design: a branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even patriotic affiliations could be indicated by minor variations. The spelling variations of the name Cadwalyder have included Cadwallader, Cadwelleder, Kadwalleder, Cadwinder and many more.

Early Notables of the Cadwalyder family

Prominent amongst the family during the late Middle Ages was Casail Cadwaladr (fl. 1590), a Welsh poet, who flourished in the latter part of the sixteenth century. 1 Roger Cadwallador (1568-1610), was an English divine, a native of Stretton Sugwas, Herefordshire. " At length, on Easter day, 1610, he was apprehended and taken before Dr. Robert Bennet, bishop of...
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Cadwalyder Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Cadwalyder family

During the latter half of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, the people of Wales journeyed to North America to find a new life. They made major contributions to the arts, industry and commerce of both Canada and the United States, and added a rich cultural heritage to their newly adopted societies. A look at the immigration and passenger lists has shown a number of people bearing the name Cadwalyder: Humphrey Cadwellader who settled in Virginia in 1641; John Cadwalader settled with his wife in Philadelphia in 1820; C. Cadwalader arrived in San Francisco in 1852..



  1. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print


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