Doddington History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

The ancient history of the Doddington name begins with the ancient Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name is derived from when the family resided in Doddington, a place name found at many locations throughout England. The name is made up of the Old English personal name Dodda, an Old English word that meant "enclosure," or "farm" and tun, which meant "town." Thus the original meaning of this place name was Dodda's farm or Dodda's town. 1

Early Origins of the Doddington family

The surname Doddington was first found in Somerset at Doddington, which predates the Norman Conquest dating back to c. 975 when it was first listed as Dundingtune. By the time of the Domesday Book in 1086, the village was known as Dodington. 2

There are other places similarly named in the Domesday Book but this is the only pre-Conquest village making it of Saxon origin. In early days, some of the family were found much further north in Cumberland at Kirk-Oswald where "the estates [of Kirk-Oswald] were granted by Elizabeth to the Dodding family." 3

Alternatively, the family could have originated in the parish of Duddington in Northamptonshire. The parish dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 when it was first listed as Dodintone 2 and literally meant "estate associated with a man called Dud(d)a," from the old English personal name + "-ing" + "tun." 1

Further to the north, Duddingston is a former village in the east of Edinburgh, Scotland. It was first recorded in lands granted to the Abbot of Kelso Abbey by David I of Scotland between 1136-1147. Duddingston Loch is a loch located in Holyrood Park, Edinburgh, Scotland, below Arthur's seat. It is the only natural loch in Edinburgh.

Early History of the Doddington family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Doddington research. Another 104 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1519, 1536, 1547, 1551, 1595, 1662, 1663, 1689, 1691, 1693, 1705, 1707, 1708, 1713, 1715, 1717, 1718 and 1720 are included under the topic Early Doddington History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Doddington Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Doddington include Dodington, Doddington, Doddingston and others.

Early Notables of the Doddington family

Distinguished members of the family include Bartholomew Dodington (1536-1595), Greek scholar, born in Middlesex and was admitted a scholar of St. John's College, Cambridge, on the Lady Margaret's foundation, 11 Nov. 1547, and proceeded B.A. in 1551. 4George Bubb Dodington, Lord Melcombe (c. 1662-1720), was an English politician, Lord Lieutenant of Somerset (1715-1720), Vice-Admiral of Somerset (1715-1720), Member of Parliament for Winchelsea (1705-1707) and (1707-1708), for Charlemont (1707-1713) and for Bridgwater (1708-1713.) He "represented the old Somerset family the Dodingtons of Dodington. A John Dodington (d. 1663) held an office under Thurloe, and married Hester, the daughter of Sir Peter Temple...
Another 127 words (9 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Doddington Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Doddington migration to the United States +

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Doddington or a variant listed above:

Doddington Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

John Doddington, who arrived in Georgia in 1773

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print