Cardiffe History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Wales
Ireland

Etymology of Cardiffe

What does the name Cardiffe mean?

The Welsh family name Cardiffe is derived from the name of the city of Cardiff, which is in the county of Glamorgan. As such, Cardiffe belongs to the somewhat rare category of Welsh habitation names, which are derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads.

Early Origins of the Cardiffe family

The surname Cardiffe was first found in Glamorganshire (Welsh: Sir Forgannwg), a region of South Wales, anciently part of the Welsh kingdom of Glywysing, 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.

Early History of the Cardiffe family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cardiffe research. Another 86 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1172, 1201 and 1609 are included under the topic Early Cardiffe History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cardiffe 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 Cardiffe has seen various spelling variations: Cardiff, Cardiffe, Kerdiff, Kerdiffe and others.

Early Notables of the Cardiffe family

More information is included under the topic Early Cardiffe Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Cardiffe family to Ireland

Some of the Cardiffe family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 34 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Cardiffe family

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 Cardiffe: Patrick Cardiff who settled in Georgia in 1733; Thomas Cardiff settled in New England in 1773; another Patrick settled in Philadelphia in 1868.