Show ContentsDudington History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Dudington is of Anglo-Saxon origin and came from when a family lived in Doddington, a place name found at many locations throughout England. The name is made up of the Old English personal name Dodda, an Old English word that meant "enclosure," or "farm" and tun, which meant "town." Thus the original meaning of this place name was Dodda's farm or Dodda's town. [1]

Early Origins of the Dudington family

The surname Dudington was first found in Somerset at Doddington, which predates the Norman Conquest dating back to c. 975 when it was first listed as Dundingtune. By the time of the Domesday Book in 1086, the village was known as Dodington. [2]

There are other places similarly named in the Domesday Book but this is the only pre-Conquest village making it of Saxon origin. In early days, some of the family were found much further north in Cumberland at Kirk-Oswald where "the estates [of Kirk-Oswald] were granted by Elizabeth to the Dodding family." [3]

Alternatively, the family could have originated in the parish of Duddington in Northamptonshire. The parish dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 when it was first listed as Dodintone [2] and literally meant "estate associated with a man called Dud(d)a," from the old English personal name + "-ing" + "tun." [1]

Further to the north, Duddingston is a former village in the east of Edinburgh, Scotland. It was first recorded in lands granted to the Abbot of Kelso Abbey by David I of Scotland between 1136-1147. Duddingston Loch is a loch located in Holyrood Park, Edinburgh, Scotland, below Arthur's seat. It is the only natural loch in Edinburgh.

Early History of the Dudington family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dudington research. Another 104 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1519, 1536, 1547, 1551, 1595, 1662, 1663, 1689, 1691, 1693, 1705, 1707, 1708, 1713, 1715, 1717, 1718 and 1720 are included under the topic Early Dudington History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dudington Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Dudington family name include Dodington, Doddington, Doddingston and others.

Early Notables of the Dudington family

Distinguished members of the family include Bartholomew Dodington (1536-1595), Greek scholar, born in Middlesex and was admitted a scholar of St. John's College, Cambridge, on the Lady Margaret's foundation, 11 Nov. 1547, and proceeded B.A. in 1551. [4]George Bubb Dodington, Lord Melcombe (c. 1662-1720), was an English politician, Lord Lieutenant of Somerset (1715-1720), Vice-Admiral of Somerset (1715-1720), Member of Parliament for Winchelsea (1705-1707) and (1707-1708), for Charlemont (1707-1713) and for Bridgwater (1708-1713.) He "represented the old Somerset family the Dodingtons of Dodington. A John Dodington (d. 1663) held an office under Thurloe, and married Hester, the daughter of Sir Peter Temple...
Another 127 words (9 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Dudington Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Dudington family

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, the Canadas, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Dudington surname or a spelling variation of the name include : John Doddington arrived in Georgia in 1773.



  1. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  2. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  3. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  4. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print


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