Fiddes History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
England

Etymology of Fiddes

What does the name Fiddes mean?

The distinguished surname Fiddes is of Scottish origin. It is derived from "Fiddes," the name of a barony once known as Fothes or Futhos located in Foveran, Kincardineshire. The name is thought to be derived from the Gaelic "fiodhais," meaning "wood-place." 1

Early Origins of the Fiddes family

The surname Fiddes was first found in Kincardineshire, where the family claim descent from the old barony of Fides, anciently Futhos or Fothes, in the parish of Foveran. "Eadmund or Edmund de Fotheis and Alwinus or Aleuin, his son who witnessed two charters between 1200-1207, are probably the first recorded of the name. Fergus de Fothes, son of John de Fothes, received in 1289 from Alexander Cumyn, Earl of Buchan, a charter of the whole tenement of Fothes. Payments were made to John Fotis and to Walter de Fothes in 1328-9, Eustace de Futhes was collector of contributions in Aberdeenshire, 1373." 1

"William Fettes, grandfather of the founder of Fettes College, Edinburgh, was a native of Laurencekirk, Kincardineshire." 1

To the south in England, Emma Fete was listed in the Curai Regis Rolls for Oxfordshire in 1227; John le Fette was found in Berkshire in 1294; and John ffettys was found in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379. 2

Early History of the Fiddes family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Fiddes research. Another 125 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1408, 1423, 1435, 1447, 1488, 1491, 1498, 1524, 1597, 1600, 1603, 1621, 1671, 1687, 1690, 1691, 1693 and 1725 are included under the topic Early Fiddes History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Fiddes Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Fiddes, Fotheis, Fuddes, Fudes, Futhes, Fouthas, Futhois, Fothes, Futhas, Fudas, Fittes, Fette and many more.

Early Notables of the Fiddes family

Notable amongst the Clan at this time was

Richard Fiddes (1671-1725), English divine and historian, the eldest son of John Fiddes...

Fiddes migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Fiddes Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Robert Fiddes, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1766 3

Fiddes 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:

Fiddes Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Miss Elizabeth Fiddes, (b. 1873), aged 20 months, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Parsee" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 4th September 1874, died on board 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Fiddes (post 1700) +

James Fiddes, Scottish footballer
Louise Fiddes (b. 2001), British Paralympic swimmer, gold medalist at the 2024 Paralympics
Sir George Vandeleur Fiddes GCMG, CB (1858-1936), the former British Permanent Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies
Frank James Fiddes (b. 1906), Canadian rower who competed at the 1928 Summer Olympics
Richard Fiddes (1671-1725), English divine and historian
Rev. Paul S Fiddes (b. 1947), Professor of Systematic Theology in the University of Oxford

The Fiddes 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: Industria
Motto Translation: Industrious.

Citations +

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)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
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