Show ContentsSudduth History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Sudduth was brought to England in the great wave of migration following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Sudduth family lived in Lincolnshire, in the parish of Sotebi, (Sotby) in the union of Horncastle, E. division of the wapentake of Wraggoe, parts of Lindsey. [1] Traditionally a very small parish, in the late 1800's the population was 156 but today about 100 people live there.

Interestingly, the parish dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 when it was listed as Sotebi at that time. Literally, the place name means "farmstead or village of a man called Soti," from the Viking personal name + "by." [2]

Early Origins of the Sudduth family

The surname Sudduth was first found in Lincolnshire where shortly after the Conquest, Ralph of Sotby held the village and church of Sotebi from the Bishop of Bayeux. [3]

This village church is still famous for its Norman chancel arch. Dedicated to Saint Peter, the church dates from the 12th century, and was restored in 1857 by Michael Drury, an English architect.

While this origin is the preferred, we would be remiss if we did not include another possible origin, at Southrey, another village in the civil parish of Bardney in the West Lindsey district of Lincolnshire. This village dates back to the Domesday Book as well. In this case, the village was known as Sutreie at that time. And in this case, the village literally meant "southerly island. " [2]

Simon Southrey or Sotherey (fl. 1396), a Benedictine monk, may have taken his name from Southrey. "A monk of St. Albans and a doctor of divinity of Oxford, he had become by 1389 prior of the Benedictine hostelry in that university. In 1389 Southrey successfully resisted Archbishop Courtenay's proposed visitation of the Oxford house. " [4]

Early History of the Sudduth family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Sudduth research. Another 73 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1450, 1500, 1594, 1623, 1654, 1656, 1659, 1683 and 1704 are included under the topic Early Sudduth History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sudduth Spelling Variations

Norman surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are largely due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England, as well as the official court languages of Latin and French, also had pronounced influences on the spelling of surnames. Since medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings. The name has been spelled Sotheby, Sothaby, Sotherby, Southerby, Southby, Southey and many more.

Early Notables of the Sudduth family

Another 35 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Sudduth Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sudduth Ranking

In the United States, the name Sudduth is the 6,624th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. [5]

Migration of the Sudduth family

Many English families emigrated to North American colonies in order to escape the political chaos in Britain at this time. Unfortunately, many English families made the trip to the New World under extremely harsh conditions. Overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the stormy Atlantic. Despite these hardships, many of the families prospered and went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the United States and Canada. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the name Sudduth or a variant listed above: Henry and Elizabeth Southey who settled in Virginia with their children Mary and Thomas in 1623; Dan Southerby settled in Virginia in 1653; Mary Southerby settled in New England in 1755..


Contemporary Notables of the name Sudduth (post 1700) +

  • Willa Mae Sudduth (1925-2015), American co-founder of the Coalition of Labor Union Women
  • Solon B. Sudduth (1908-1963), American football and basketball coach
  • Margaret Ashmore Sudduth (1859-1957), American educator, editor, temperance advocate, senior editor of the Woman's Temperance Publishing Association
  • Jimmy Lee Sudduth (1910-2007), American outsider artist and blues musician from Fayette, Alabama
  • Jill Sudduth (b. 1971), American four-time gold medalist synchronized swimmer and Olympic champion
  • James "Jim" Sudduth (1917-1995), American politician, Mayor of Lake Charles, Louisiana (1965-1973)
  • Andrew Sudduth (1961-2006), American gold medalist rower at the 1986 Moscow Games
  • Walter Kohl Sudduth (b. 1974), American actor, best known for his role as Luther "Suitcase" Simpson in nine Jesse Stone television films
  • Robert Lee "Skipp" Sudduth IV (b. 1956), American theater, film and television actor, best known for his role in the 1998 film Ronin and his lead in the TV drama Third Watch
  • J. B. Sudduth, American Democratic Party politician, Chair of St. Louis County Democratic Party, 1903 [6]


  1. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  2. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  3. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  4. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  5. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  6. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, February 1) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


Houseofnames.com on Facebook