Caddell History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
An ancient Pictish-Scottish family was the first to use the name Caddell. It is a name for someone who lived at or near the wooded stream derived from the Gaelic word coillie, a wood and dur which means stream.
Early Origins of the Caddell family
The surname Caddell was first found in Banffshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Bhanbh), former Scottish county located in the northeasterly Grampian region of Scotland, now of divided between the Council Areas of Moray and Aberdeenshire.
One source notes, "the northern Cawdors were disguised as Cadells and de Cadella even in old Scots chroniclers, and they have kept that variety permanently in the South. " 1
Further to the south in England, the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 listed: Cristina Caudel, Cambridgeshire; William Caudel, Cambridgeshire; and (Prior) de Caudewelle, Bedfordshire. 2
"Cadel was a surname in Oxfordshire and Sussex at the close of the 13th century." 3
Cadell (d. 909), was "King of Ceredigion and afterwards of Powys, one of the six warlike sons of Rhodri Mawr, the most powerful of the early Welsh kings. He was Rhodri's eldest son, and received as his patrimony Ceredigion, with the palace at Dinevwr, and an overlordship over his other brothers. " 4
Cadell (d. 943), was a Welsh prince, the son of Arthvael, who was the son of Hywel. Cadell (d. 1175), was a South Welsh prince, the son of Gruffudd, the son of Rhys, the son of Tewdwr. 4
Early History of the Caddell family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Caddell research. Another 179 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1530, 1536, 1558 and 1600 are included under the topic Early Caddell History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Caddell Spelling Variations
During the Middle Ages, there was no basic set of rules and scribes wrote according to sound. The correct spelling of Scottish names were further compromised after many haphazard translations from Gaelic to English and back. Spelling variations of the name Caddell include Cadell, Caddell, Cadel, Cadwell and others.
Early Notables of the Caddell family
More information is included under the topic Early Caddell Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Caddell Ranking
In the United States, the name Caddell is the 7,623rd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 5
Migration of the Caddell family to Ireland
Some of the Caddell family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Caddell migration to the United States +
Scots left their country by the thousands to travel to Australia and North America. Desperate for freedom and an opportunity to fend for themselves, many paid huge fees and suffered under terrible conditions on long voyages. Still, for those who made the trip, freedom and opportunity awaited. In North America, many fought their old English oppressors in the American War of Independence. In recent years, Scottish heritage has been an increasingly important topic, as Clan societies and other organizations have renewed people's interest in their history. An examination of passenger and immigration lists shows many early settlers bearing the name of Caddell:
Caddell Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
- John Caddell, aged 25, who arrived in New York in 1774 6
Caddell Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- Hugh Caddell, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1866 6
Caddell migration to Australia +
Emigration to
Australia followed the
First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:
Caddell Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
- Mr. George Caddell, (b. 1818), aged 19, British Convict who was convicted in Kent, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Asia" on 20th July 1837, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1878 7
Caddell migration to West Indies +
The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association.
8Caddell Settlers in West Indies in the 18th Century
- Henry Caddell, who arrived in Barbados in 1798 6
Contemporary Notables of the name Caddell (post 1700) +
- Patrick Hayward Caddell (1950-2019), American public opinion pollster and a political film consultant who served in the Carter administration
- John A. Caddell (1910-2006), American lawyer
- Matt Caddell (b. 1984), American football wide receiver
- Peter Caddell, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Massachusetts, 1912 9
- Louise Caddell, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Texas, 1980 9
- James Caddell (b. 1826), New Zealand Pâkehâ Mâori, sealer and interpreter
- DeClan Caddell (b. 1988), Irish footballer
The Caddell Motto +
The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.
Motto: Vigilantia non cadet
Motto Translation: Vigilance will not miscarry.
Citations +
- Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
- Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
- Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
- Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
- "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
- 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)
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 7th February 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1837
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 11) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html