Contents [hide]

Caudill History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Suggested Reading Citations

Caudill History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland

Caudill is an ancient Scottish name that was first used by the Strathclyde-Briton people of the Scottish/English Borderlands. It is a name for someone who lived in Renfrewshire. This place-name may also be derived from the Old English words caeld, which means cold, and welle, which means well, and indicates that the original bearer lived near a well that gave cold water. 1

Early Origins of the Caudill family

The surname Caudill was first found in Renfrewshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Rinn Friù), a historic county of Scotland, today encompassing the Council Areas of Renfrew, East Renfrewshire, and Iverclyde, in the Strathclyde region of southwestern Scotland, at the Caldwell Tower, a mansion and old estate that dates back to 1294. 2

The current Caldwell Tower stands on a mound, and is a small, free-standing tower that was probably built in the 16th century.

It was fully restored in 2011 with the addition of a small extension. Caldwell is also a village and civil parish in the Richmondshire district of North Yorkshire.

"The old family of the name appears to have ended in the direct line in an heiress in the fifteenth century. In 1342 there is an entry of the fee of William de Caldwell. Robert Cauldwell was a merchant in the service of Sir John of Montgomery, 1405." 3

The Caudle variant may be related to a thickened and sweetened alcoholic hot drink so named. It was popular in the Middle Ages for its supposed medicinal properties and dates back to at least 1297.

Further to the south in the English county of Yorkshire, the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed: Johannes de Coldwell; and Thomas de Coldwele. 4

Early History of the Caudill family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Caudill research. Another 175 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1419, 1495, 1505, 1526, 1533, 1548, 1551, 1554, 1559, 1561, 1572, 1581, 1584, 1596, 1628, 1661, 1679, 1687, 1796, 1890 and 1929 are included under the topic Early Caudill History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Caudill Spelling Variations

Prior to the first dictionaries, scribes spelled words according to sound. This, and the fact that Scottish names were repeatedly translated from Gaelic to English and back, contributed to the enormous number of spelling variations in Scottish names. Caudill has been spelled Caldwell, Coldwell, Caldwill, Cauldwell, Cauldwill, Cawldwell, Guildwell, Calewell, Caldewell and many more.

Early Notables of the Caudill family

Notable amongst the family at this time was Blessed John Fenwick, born John Caldwell (1628-1679), an English Jesuit, executed at the time of the Popish Plot, a Catholic martyr, beatified in 1929 by Pope Pius XI.Richard Caldwall (1505?-1584), was an English physician, born in Staffordshire about 1505. "He was educated at Brasenose, graduated as B.A. in...
Another 56 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Caudill Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Caudill Ranking

In the United States, the name Caudill is the 1,496^th most popular surname with an estimated 19,896 people with that name. 5

Migration of the Caudill family to Ireland

Some of the Caudill family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 60 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Caudill migration to the United States +

In such difficult times, the difficulties of raising the money to cross the Atlantic to North America did not seem so large compared to the problems of keeping a family together in Scotland. It was a journey well worth the cost, since it was rewarded with land and freedom the Scots could not find at home. The American War of Independence solidified that freedom, and many of those settlers went on to play important parts in the forging of a great nation. Among them:

Caudill Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Enrico Caudill, aged 27, who settled in Gagliano, in 1905
Enrico Caudill, aged 27, who arrived in New York in 1905 aboard the ship "Madonna" from Naples, Italy 6
William H Caudill, aged 23, who settled in Fletcher Co., Kentucky in 1916
William H Caudill, aged 23, who arrived in New York in 1916 aboard the ship "Cristobal" from Cristobal, C.Z. 6
Mollie Caudill, aged 38, who arrived in New York in 1924 aboard the ship "Dagfin" from Balboa, Canal Zone 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Caudill (post 1700) +

William Abel Caudill (1920-1972), American applied medical anthropologist, the first to identify the field of medical anthropology
Colonel Benjamin E. Caudill, American Confederate army officer who led Caudill's Army
Randall Caudill, American president and founder of Dunsford Hill Capital Partners, a San Francisco-based financial consulting firm
Harry M. Caudill (1922-1990), American author, historian, lawyer, legislator
Rebecca Caudill Ayars (1899-1985), American author of children's literature, eponym of the Rebecca Caudill Young Reader's Book Award
William Holland "Bill" Caudill (b. 1956), American Major League Baseball pitcher who played from 1979 to 1987
W. C. Caudill, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Virginia, 1944; Member of Virginia State Senate, 1950 7
Samuel W. Caudill, American Republican politician, Candidate for West Virginia State House of Delegates from Raleigh County, 1934 7
Harry Monroe Caudill (b. 1922), American Democratic Party politician, Member of Kentucky State House of Representatives 92nd District, 1954-57, 1960-61; Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Kentucky, 1960 7
E. L. Caudill Sr., American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Tennessee, 1952 7
... (Another 2 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Caudill family +

Arrow Air Flight 1285

Mr. Phillip R Caudill (1965-1985), American Private from Cincinnati, Ohio, USA who died in the Arrow Air Flight 1285 crash 8

The Caudill 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: Fac et spera
Motto Translation: Do and hope.

Citations +

Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
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)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Ellis Island Search retrieved 15th November 2022. Retrieved from https://heritage.statueofliberty.org/passenger-result
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 23) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
American War Memorials - Flight 1285. (Retrieved 2016, August 24) . Retrieved from http://www.uswarmemorials.org/html/monument_details.php?SiteID=317&MemID=550