Show ContentsMaddin History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The surname Maddin originally appeared in Gaelic as "Mac an Mhadaidh," which is probably derived from the word "madadh," which means "warrior, dog." 1

Another source claims the family claim descent through Owen Buac, brother of Owen Fionn, ancestor of O'Madadhain, of Connaught, slain, 1008; Anglicized O'Madden, Madden. The Madden family of Longford, County Galway, the O'Madden family of Balbriggan, County Dublin and the Madden family of Ulster are all branches of the original. 2

Alternatively, the name could have been from "descendant of little Matthew (gift of Jehovah.)" 3

Early Origins of the Maddin family

The surname Maddin was first found in County Galway (Irish: Gaillimh) part of the province of Connacht, located on the west coast of the Island, where they held a family seat from ancient times.

We did find this interesting entry for the Mudrigan variant in the parish of St. Martin, Cornwall, England: "Although this parish contains no manor, Mudgian is said formerly to have had manorial rights, when it belonged to a family of this name, and was their seat. From the Mudgians it passed with an heiress in marriage to the Chynoweths." 4

Early History of the Maddin family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Maddin research. Another 126 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1347, 1556, 1567, 1677, 1713 and 1715 are included under the topic Early Maddin History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Maddin Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: MacAvaddy, Madden, O'Madden, Madigan, Macavadan and others.

Early Notables of the Maddin family

Another 42 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Maddin Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Maddin migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Maddin Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Henry Maddin, who arrived in Virginia in 1643 5
  • Tho Maddin, who landed in Virginia in 1657 5
Maddin Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Sarah Maddin, who arrived in New England in 1740 5
  • Stephen Maddin, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1745 5
Maddin Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Hugh Maddin, aged 23, who arrived in New York, NY in 1803 5
  • John Maddin, aged 18, who landed in Georgia in 1812 5
  • Bryan Maddin, who arrived in Arkansas in 1848 5

Canada Maddin migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Maddin Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Dennis Maddin, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1750

Australia Maddin migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Maddin Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Miss Sarah Maddin, Irish convict who was convicted in Cork, Ireland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Exmouth" on 2nd January 1804, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 6


  1. Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
  2. O'Hart, John, Irish Pedigrees 5th Edition in 2 Volumes. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1976. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0737-4)
  3. Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
  4. Hutchins, Fortescue, The History of Cornwall, from the Earliest Records and Traditions to the Present Time. London: William Penaluna, 1824. Print
  5. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  6. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 30th May 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/experiment


Houseofnames.com on Facebook