Show ContentsHaddant History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Haddant

What does the name Haddant mean?

Haddant is a name whose history is connected to the ancient Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name is derived from when the Haddant family once lived in the village of Haddon which was in a number of places including Derbyshire, Dorset, Northampton and Roxburgh in Scotland. There is also a place called Hadden Hill in the county of Stafford.

We found this entry for the East Haddon, Northamptonshire: "This place is mentioned in Domesday Book under the names Eddone and Hadone; it then belonged to the Earl of Morton, and among the families who have subsequently held the lands, may be named the family of St. Andrew, of whom notice occurs in the reign of Edward I." 1

This place-name was originally derived from two Old English words Haeth, which means a heath, and dun which literally means a hill. Therefore the original bearers of the surname Haddant resided near or on a heather-covered hill. 2

Early Origins of the Haddant family

The surname Haddant was first found in Derbyshire, at either Nether Haddon or Over Haddon, both small villages. Looking back further, we found William Hadon listed in Normandy, France in the Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae (1180.) 3

Haddon Hall is an English country house on the River Wye at Bakewell, Derbyshire that dates back to the 11th century when William Peverel, illegitimate son of William the Conqueror, held the manor of Nether Haddon in 1087.

A search through early rolls revealed: Ailwin de Haddun in the Pipe Rolls of 1159; Philip de Haddon in the Assize Rolls for Somerset in 1267; John de Hadden in Northumberland in 1323; and Thomas Haddun in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379. 4

"Haddon is the name of parishes in the neighbouring counties of Northampton and Huntingdonshire, in the former of which the surname also occurs. In the 13th century it was a common surname in Huntingdonshire and Oxfordshire." 5

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 had three listings for the family: Robert de Hadden, Oxfordshire; Agnes de Haddon, Oxfordshire; and Jordan de Haddone, Huntingdonshire. 6

To the north in Scotland, entries were quite a bit later: "Adam Haddane of Dolphington appears in 1679 (Lanark CR.), and Alexander Haddin was married in Edinburgh, 1696. A family named Hadden was long identified with the history of Aberdeenshire." 7

Early History of the Haddant family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Haddant research. Another 64 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1159, 1515, 1556, 1572, 1680, 1762 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Haddant History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Haddant Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Haddant family name include Haddon, Hadden, Haddan, Haddin and others.

Early Notables of the Haddant family

Distinguished members of the family include James Haddon (fl. 1556), an English reforming divine and his brother, Walter Haddon LL.D. (1515-1572), an English civil lawyer, much involved in church and university affairs under Edward...
Another 34 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Haddant Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Haddant family to Ireland

Some of the Haddant family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 50 words (4 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 Haddant family

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, Canada, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Haddant surname or a spelling variation of the name include: James Hadden in Maryland in 1697 and later moved to Virginia; John Haddin arrived in Philadelphia in 1848; John and Margaret Haddon settled in Salem Massachusetts in 1630.



The Haddant 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: Suffer


  1. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  2. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  3. The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
  4. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  5. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  6. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  7. 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)


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