Show ContentsHudile History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Hudile surname comes from the place name Yewdale in Lancashire, which is derived from the Old English word "yew," a type of tree and the Old Norse "dalr," meaning "valley." 1 Literally, the place name means "the dale where yew-trees grow"2

Early Origins of the Hudile family

The surname Hudile was first found in North West Lancashire at Yewdale. While three distinct sources agree on this origin, one differs. In this case, the author notes that the name could have been Norman in origin implying some of the family at one time emigrated to England. He notes that the Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae lists Ansgot de Ouvedale (Uvedale) in Normandy 1180-1195. The same source also notes Walder de Hudal in 1198. 3

Scant records are found today of Yewdale other than one source notes that it is a "valley at the north end of Coniston Lake." 4

Apparently at one time "a family of Udall, or Wedalle, owned the manor of Chingford Comitis, Essex, in the reign of Elizabeth. " 5

Another source notes that Alice de Youdall was listed in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 and later, John Yowdall was listed in Cumbria in 1546. 6

Early History of the Hudile family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hudile research. Another 46 words (3 lines of text) covering the years 1437, 1449, 1455, 1464, 1505, 1524, 1542, 1556, 1560 and 1592 are included under the topic Early Hudile History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hudile Spelling Variations

Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Hudile has undergone many spelling variations, including Udall, Udale, Udall, Udle, Yewdale, Yewdall, Youdale and many more.

Early Notables of the Hudile family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Sir William Uvedale (1455-1524), British soldier and courtier, of Wickham, Hampshire, the son and heir of Sir Thomas Uvedale of Wickham and of Titsey, Surrey, High Sheriff of Surrey and Sussex in 1437 and 1464. "The family name appears from the oldest deeds to have been D'Ovedale or D'Ouvedale. Other variations of the name are Uvedall, Uvedail, Vuedall, Udall, Woodall, and Woodhall. A writer in a sixteenth-century manuscript, desirous of identifying the Uvedale family with that of Wodehall, Cumberland, says, 'Thei call the name Woddall, and some call it Udall, and some Wodhall...
Another 108 words (8 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Hudile Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Hudile family

To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Hudile were among those contributors: William Udle settled in Carbonear, Newfoundland, in 1798; Patrick Udall settled in Maryland in 1685; John Udall settled in New England in 1751; James Udell settled in Philadelphia in 1862.



  1. Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
  2. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  3. The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
  4. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  5. Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
  6. 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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