Maddox History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms 

Origins Available: 
  Wales 
  Ireland 


The Welsh surname Maddox is derived from the early Welsh personal name Madoc. This was also written as Madawc and Madog, from the Old Welsh name Matoc, which had the literal meaning of goodly. 1

Early Origins of the Maddox family

The surname Maddox was first found in the Domesday Book of 1086 where the singular name Madoch is recorded in Gloucestershire. 2

"Madoc an ancient Welsh personal name. One Madoch was a tenant in chief in Herefordshire at the making of Domesday. He was doubtless a Welshman by birth." 3

Dusting off more old references, we found Oenus filius Madoc in the Pipe Rolls for Salop (Shropshire) in 1160; Maddock le Waleys in the Assize Rolls for Staffordshire in 1283; and William Madoc in the Hundredorum Rolls for Shropshire in 1274. In Cheshire, Robert Mattok was listed there in the Assize Rolls for 1290 and Robert Madduk and Stephen Madek was found in Colchester in 1297. 4

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included: Madoc de Sotton; Tudor ab Madoc; and Maddoc le Estrange. All were from Shropshire. 5

"Maddock and Maddocks, forms of the ancient Welsh personal name of Madoc, have characterised Wales and the English border shires for ages. Madoch was the name of a Herefordshire tenant in Domesday times, whilst Maddox is still an old Hereford name. In the reign of Edward. I. there were persons of the name of Madoc in Shropshire (H. R.), in which county the names of Maddock and Maddocks still occur. Maddock is now a frequent name in Chester and its neighbourhood, and John Maddock was mayor of Chester in 1676 (Ormerod). Maddocks was the name of a very ancient family of Llanfrynach, Brecknockshire (Jones' "Brecknockshire")." 6

Early History of the Maddox family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Maddox research. Another 116 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1571, 1598, 1612, 1697, 1736 and 1759 are included under the topic Early Maddox History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Maddox Spelling Variations

Although there are comparatively few Welsh surnames, they have a great many spelling variations. Variations of Welsh names began almost immediately after their acceptance within Welsh society. In the Middle Ages, it was up to priests and the few other people that recorded names in official documents to decide how to spell the names that they heard. Variations that occurred because of improper recording increased dramatically as the names were later transliterated into English. The Brythonic Celtic language of Wales, known by natives as Cymraeg, featured many highly inflected sounds that could not be properly captured by the English language. Spelling variations were, however, also carried out according to an individual's design: a branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even patriotic affiliations were all indicated by the particular variation of one's name. The spelling variations of the name Maddox have included Maddox, Maddix, Maddick, Mattick, Matticks, Mattix, Maddock, Maddockes, Maddocks, Madocks, Madox, Madoch, Mattock and many more.

Early Notables of the Maddox family

Prominent amongst the family during the late Middle Ages was

Maddox Ranking

In the United States, the name Maddox is the 752nd most popular surname with an estimated 39,792 people with that name. 7

Migration of the Maddox family to Ireland

Some of the Maddox 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.


Maddox migration to the United States +

Many Welsh joined the great migrations to North America in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Like their Scottish and Irish neighbors, many Welsh families left their homeland hoping to find hope and prosperity in a land that the English did not exercise a tight rule over. Those Welsh immigrants that successfully traveled to North America went on to make significant contributions to the rapid development of both Canada and the United States in terms of the settling of land and the establishment of industry. They also added to the rich cultural heritage of both countries. An examination into the immigration and passenger lists has discovered a number of people bearing the name Maddox:

Maddox Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
Maddox Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Maddox migration to Australia +

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

Maddox Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Maddox migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Maddox Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Maddox 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. 14
Maddox Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Contemporary Notables of the name Maddox (post 1700) +


Suggested Readings for the name Maddox +
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