Show ContentsFaldow History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Faldow is one of the thousands of new names that the Norman Conquest brought to England in 1066. The Faldow family lived in Staffordshire at Fauld, a township, in the parish of Hanbury, union of Burton-upon-Trent. [1]

The name is generally thought to have been an occupational name for 'the falder,' a herd, a shepherd, one who tended cattle; from the Anglo-Saxon word, afold. Despite the above Staffordshire entry, the name is a "well-known North-English surname, especially familiar to Cumberland." [2]

Early Origins of the Faldow family

The surname Faldow was first found in Staffordshire where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor of Fauld. Conjecturally they are descended from Hubert and Robert of Fauld, father and son Norman nobles, who held their lands at the time of the taking of the Domesday Book survey in 1086 from Henry de Ferrers. [3]

A very rare surname, we did find one entry for the variant Fold, that being: John atte Fold in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327. [4]

Early History of the Faldow family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Faldow research. Another 165 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1438, 1536, 1633, 1673, 1684, 1690 and 1734 are included under the topic Early Faldow History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Faldow Spelling Variations

Multitudes of spelling variations are a hallmark of Anglo Norman names. Most of these names evolved in the 11th and 12th century, in the time after the Normans introduced their own Norman French language into a country where Old and Middle English had no spelling rules and the languages of the court were French and Latin. To make matters worse, medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, so names frequently appeared differently in the various documents in which they were recorded. The name was spelled Fauld, Faulds, Faldow, Faldo, Faldoe, Fauldo, Fauldow, Fauldhouse, Falder, Fauls, Fawles and many more.

Early Notables of the Faldow family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was John Faldo (1633-1690), an English nonconformist minister and controversialist. He "is said to have been educated at Cambridge, and to have been a chaplain in the army, so that he held no benefice...
Another 41 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Faldow Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Faldow family

Because of this political and religious unrest within English society, many people decided to immigrate to the colonies. Families left for Ireland, North America, and Australia in enormous numbers, traveling at high cost in extremely inhospitable conditions. The New World in particular was a desirable destination, but the long voyage caused many to arrive sick and starving. Those who made it, though, were welcomed by opportunities far greater than they had known at home in England. Many of these families went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Faldow or a variant listed above: Bartholomew Faldoe who settled in Massachusetts in 1635.



  1. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  2. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  3. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  4. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)


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