Cadwalader History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Wales

Brythonic in origin, the name of Cadwalader came from the rugged landscape of Wales. The name is from the Welsh personal name Cadwaladyr. In Old Welsh, this name was Catguallon. Both Cornish and Breton, which along with Welsh, make up the family of Brythonic Celtic languages have cognate forms of this name; the Cornish form is Caduualant, and the Old Breton form is Catuualon.

Early Origins of the Cadwalader family

The surname Cadwalader was first found in Harlech, where they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D. According to legend, this ancient family is descended from Cadwaladr (d. circa 664) Welsh King of Gwynedd, leader of the Celtic resistance against the Anglo-Saxons. Later accounts have made him a national hero, a Saint, and called him the last of the Kings of Briton. 1

Cadwaladr (d. 1173), the son of Gruffudd, the son of Cynan, "was the son and the brother of the two most famous north Welsh princes of their time. During his father's lifetime he accompanied his elder brother, Owain, on many predatory excursions against rival princes. In 1121 they ravaged Meirionydd, and apparently conquered it. In 1135 and 1136 they led three successful expeditions to Ceredigion, and managed to get possession of at least the northern portion of that district. " 1

Early History of the Cadwalader family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cadwalader research. Another 73 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1520, 1568, 1590, 1610, 1666 and 1690 are included under the topic Early Cadwalader History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cadwalader Spelling Variations

Although there are not an extremely large number Welsh surnames, there are an inordinately large number of spelling variations of those surnames. This variety of spellings began almost immediately after the acceptance of surnames within Welsh society. As time progressed, these old Brythonic names were eventually were recorded in English. This process was problematic in that many of the highly inflected sounds of the native language of Wales could not be properly captured in English. Some families, however, did decide to modify their own names to indicate a branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even a patriotic affiliation. The name Cadwalader has seen various spelling variations: Cadwallader, Cadwelleder, Kadwalleder, Cadwinder and many more.

Early Notables of the Cadwalader family

Prominent amongst the family during the late Middle Ages was Casail Cadwaladr (fl. 1590), a Welsh poet, who flourished in the latter part of the sixteenth century. 1 Roger Cadwallador (1568-1610), was an English divine, a native of Stretton Sugwas, Herefordshire. " At length, on Easter day, 1610, he was apprehended and taken before Dr. Robert Bennet, bishop of...
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Cadwalader Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cadwalader migration to the United States +

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many people from Wales joined the general migration to North America in search of land, work, and freedom. These immigrants greatly contributed to the rapid development of the new nations of Canada and the United States. They also added a rich and lasting cultural heritage to their newly adopted societies. Investigation of immigration and passenger lists has revealed a number of people bearing the name Cadwalader:

Cadwalader Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Elizabeth Cadwalader, who landed in Pennsylvania in 3682-1683 2
Morgan Cadwalader, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1683 2
Sarah Cadwalader, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1683 2
Edward Cadwalader, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1683 2
John Cadwalader, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1697 2

Cadwalader Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John Cadwalader settled with his wife in Philadelphia in 1820
C. Cadwalader, who arrived in San Francisco in 1852

Contemporary Notables of the name Cadwalader (post 1700) +

George Cadwalader (1806-1879), American general during the Mexican-American War and American Civil War
John Cadwalader (1742-1786), Brigadier General of the Pennsylvania militia during the American Revolutionary War
Lambert Cadwalader (1742-1823), American politician, Delegate to Continental Congress from New Jersey, 1784-87; U.S. Representative from New Jersey at-large, 1789-91, 1793-95 3
John Cadwalader, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Pennsylvania, 1888 3
John Cadwalader (1805-1879), American Democratic Party politician, U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania 5th District, 1855-57; U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, 1858-79 3
Cadwalader T. Reese, American politician, Burgess of Westmont, Pennsylvania, 1960 4
Rear Admiral Cadwalader Ringgold (1802-1867), American officer in the United States Navy who served in the United States Exploring Expedition, son of Samuel Ringgold, eponym of the USS Ringgold (DD-89), a Wickes-class destroyer and the USS Ringgold (DD-500), a Fletcher-class destroyer

Citations +

Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 11) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 3) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html