Show ContentsDuder History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Welsh name Duder comes from the personal name Tudur, an ancient Celtic name of unknown meaning. It is thought that the name, especially the form Tewdwr, may have also emerged as a Welsh version of the Latin Theodorus.

Early Origins of the Duder family

The surname Duder was first found in Herefordshire, where Tudor Trevor was Lord of Hereford, Whittington, and both Maelors. He was founder of the Tribe of the Marches, born in Denbigh, son of Ynyr Ap Cadforch, whose descendants intermarried with the distinguished families of North Wales.

Theodore (602?-690), was Archbishop of Canterbury, a native of Tarsus in Cilicia. "He studied at Athens, had a scholarly knowledge of Greek and Latin, and was well versed in sacred and profane literature and in philosophy, which caused him to receive the surname 'Philosopher.' At the time of Theodore's arrival the English church lacked order, administrative organisation, discipline, and culture. " 1

Early History of the Duder family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Duder research. Another 82 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1400, 1401, 1406, 1411, 1485, 1486, 1499, 1500, 1502 and 1503 are included under the topic Early Duder History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Duder Spelling Variations

Welsh surnames are relatively few in number, but they have an inordinately large number of spelling variations. There are many factors that explain the preponderance of Welsh variants, but the earliest is found during the Middle Ages when Welsh surnames came into use. Scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, which often resulted in a single person's name being inconsistently recorded over his lifetime. The transliteration of Welsh names into English also accounts for many of the spelling variations: the unique Brythonic Celtic language of the Welsh had many sounds the English language was incapable of accurately reproducing. It was also common for members of a same surname to change their names slightly, in order to signify a branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even patriotic affiliations. For all of these reasons, the many spelling variations of particular Welsh names are very important. The surname Duder has occasionally been spelled Tudor, Tudyr Tuder, Tudar and others.

Early Notables of the Duder family

Prominent amongst the family during the late Middle Ages was Maredydd ap Tudur (Meredith Tudor) (died 1406), Welsh soldier and nobleman from the Tudor family of Penmynydd and Owen Tudor's father, supported the 1400 Welsh uprising of his first cousin Owain Glyndwr, following the demise of Glyndwr's revolt, much of the Tudor family's lands at Penmynydd and elsewhere were forfeited to the English Crown; Rhys ap Tudur (died 1411), a Welsh nobleman and a key figure in the revolt of Owain Glyndwr, held the offices of sheriff and escheator of Anglesey as well as the Forester of Snowdon, outbreak of the...
Another 162 words (12 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Duder Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


New Zealand Duder 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:

Duder Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Thomas Duder, who landed in Auckland, New Zealand in 1840

Contemporary Notables of the name Duder (post 1700) +

  • George H. Duder, American politician, U.S. Vice Consul in Bahia, 1884 2
  • Tessa Duder (b. 1940), New Zealand swimming champion and author of novels for young people, short stories, plays and non-fiction


  1. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  2. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 13) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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