Contents [hide]

Dods History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Dods History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Wales
Ireland

The surname Dods is a Welsh name of old Celtic origin. The surname is from one of the various related Old English personal names Dodd, Dodda, Dudd, or Dudda, which were all in common use until the 14th century "from Lincolnshire to Devonshire and from Essex to Lancashire." 1 2 3 4

Early Origins of the Dods family

The surname Dods was first found in Worcestershire where the Latin form Brictricus filius Doddi was registered as holding lands in the Domesday Book of 1086. 5 The Domesday also includes an entry for Aluric Dodd in Dorset. Balterus filius Dudde, Walterus Dudde were both Old English Bynames in Worcestershire in the 11th century. Ælfweard Dudd was listed as another Old English Byname in Hampshire c. 1030. 1

As a forename Dodde de Lismanoch was found in the Pipe Rolls for Devon in 1194. Æluric Doddes was recorded in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk c. 1095. Johannes filius Dode was found in the Subsidy Rolls for Lancashire in 1332. 1

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 proved the widespread use of the name in many counties at that time: Benedict Dod, Northamptonshire; Peter Dod, Oxfordshire; Richard Dod, Cambridgeshire; and William Dod, Salop (Shropshire.) 4

George Ormerod (1785-1873) wrote the following about the family: "About the time of Henry II., Hova, son of Cadwgan Dot, married the daughter and heiress of the Lord of Edge, with whom he had the fourth of that manor. It is probable that the Lord of Edge was son of Edwin, who before the Conquest was sole proprietor of eight manors; we may call him a Saxon thane. It appears by Domesday that Dot was the Saxon lord of sixteen manors, from which all of which he was ejected; we may presume he was identical with Cadwgan Dot."

Early History of the Dods family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dods research. Another 114 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1549, 1550, 1630, 1645, 1652, 1664, 1665, 1671, 1672, 1683, 1693, 1716, 1717, 1719, 1729, 1743, 1754, 1777 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Dods History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dods Spelling Variations

The Welsh have an extremely large amount of spelling variations of their native surnames to their credit. It was up to the priest or the scribe taking the official records to determine how the spoken name was to be made literal. As time progressed, the old Brythonic names of Wales were recorded in English, which was especially problematic since the English language had extreme difficulty recording the highly inflected sounds of Cymraeg. 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 could be indicated by spelling variations of one's name. The spelling variations of the name Dods have included Dodd, Dod, Dot, Dodds, Dods and others.

Early Notables of the Dods family

Prominent amongst the family during the late Middle Ages was Sir Anthony Dod of Edge, Commander of the English archers at the Battle of Agincourt.Henry Dod (1550?-1630?), was an English poet, of the old family of Dod, or Doddes, Cheshire. 6John Dod (1549?-1645), was a Puritan divine, born at Shotlidge, near Malpas, Cheshire, in or about 1549, was the youngest of a family of seventeen. His parents were possessed of a moderate estate, and after he had received his early education at Westchester sent him when about fourteen to Jesus College, Cambridge, where he was elected scholar and afterwards fellow. Peirce...
Another 147 words (10 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Dods Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Dods family to Ireland

Some of the Dods family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 73 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dods migration to the United States +

North America in the 1800s and 1900s saw the arrival of many Welsh people hoping to share in the wealth of land, work, and freedom that they felt North America held. Those who made the journey often attained those expectations, but only through an enormous amount of hard work, perseverance, and often a bout of good luck. These immigrants helped contribute to the growth of industry, commerce, and culture of both Canada and the United States. Discovered in the immigration and passenger lists were a number of people bearing the name Dods:

Dods Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Dods, aged 36, who arrived in Virginia in 1607 aboard the ship "Discovery", his wife joined him 1623 7
Mrs. Jane Dods, who landed in Virginia in 1623 7
Ann Dods, who arrived in Virginia in 1663 7

Dods Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Thomas Dods, who arrived in New England in 1712 7
James Dods, who landed in America in 1746 7

Dods Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

W B Dods, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 7

Dods 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:

Dods Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Thomas Dods, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840
Mr. Alexander Dods, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Robert Henderson" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 3rd September 1860 8
Mrs. Dods, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Robert Henderson" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 3rd September 1860 8
Mr. Dods, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Robert Henderson" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 3rd September 1860 8
Miss Dods, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Robert Henderson" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 3rd September 1860 8

Contemporary Notables of the name Dods (post 1700) +

Walter A. Dods Jr., American business executive, banker and philanthropist from Hawaii, former President of the American Bankers Association
Marcus Dods (1786-1838), Scottish theological writer, born near Gifford in East Lothian in 1786, and educated at Edinburgh 9
Robert Smith "Robin" Dods (1868-1920), New Zealand-born Australian architect
Peter Dods (b. 1958), Scottish former rugby union player for the Scotland National Team (1983-1991)
Michael Dods (b. 1968), Scottish former rugby union player for the England National Team in 1993
Sir Lorimer Fenton Dods (1900-1981), Australian paediatrician and a pioneer of specialised health care for children
John Henry "Harry" Dods (1875-1915), Scottish rugby union player who played for the Scotland National Team (1895-1897)
Glenn Dods (b. 1958), New Zealand retired association football player
Darren Dods (b. 1975), Scottish footballer and coach
Marcus Dods (1918-1984), British musician and composer, Principal Conductor, BBC Concert Orchestra (1966–1970)
... (Another 1 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Dods 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: In copia cautus
Motto Translation: Careful amid plenty.

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
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)
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 30 June 2020