Show ContentsKaday History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Kaday family

The surname Kaday was first found in Yorkshire where the name is generally understood to be derived from the Anglo-Saxon personal name Cada. 1 But another source claims the name is Norman in origin as references there note that Arnulf Cades paid a fine in Normandy for disseisin in 1184. The same name also appears in 1198 under different circumstances. 2

The Pipe Rolls of 1189 list Eustace Cade as holding lands in Lincolnshire at that time. 3 And Shakespeare included John at the Cade (a reference to the old English word for a barrel or cask) in Henry VI, Act IV, Scene II. 4

Early History of the Kaday family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Kaday research. Another 67 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1155, 1380, 1450, 1527, 1583, 1660 and 1720 are included under the topic Early Kaday History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kaday Spelling Variations

The first dictionaries that appeared in the last few hundred years did much to standardize the English language. Before that time, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. The language was changing, incorporating pieces of other languages, and the spelling of names changed with it. Kaday has been spelled many different ways, including Cade, Cady, Cadye, Kadye, Caddy, Caddey, Kade, Kady and many more.

Early Notables of the Kaday family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Sir John Caddy of Buckland Brewer; and Jack Cade (d. 1450), English rebel from Kent who led an unsuccessful rebellion with an army of over 5,000 against King Henry VI, he had a bounty on his head of 1,000 marks and was killed attempting to flee. "He was an Irishman by birth, and is spoken of as a young man at the time of his rebellion; but nothing is known of his personal history till a year before that date. He was then living in the household of Sir Thomas Dacre in Sussex...
Another 181 words (13 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Kaday Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Kaday family

Thousands of English families in this era began to emigrate the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. Although the passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe, those who made the voyage safely were rewarded with opportunities unavailable to them in their homeland. Research into passenger and immigration lists has revealed some of the very first Kadays to arrive in North America: Ellen Cady who settled in Boston in 1850; William Caddy settled in Barbados in 1634; George Caddy settled in New York in 1841.



  1. Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
  2. 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)
  3. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  4. Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print


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