Show ContentsKadday History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The ancient Anglo-Saxon surname Kadday came from the Old English personal name Cada. With the addition of the diminutive suffix -man, this personal name was popular as late as the 13th century in the forms of Cadman and Cademan. Kadday was originally derived from a pet form of this name. 1

Alternatively, the name could have been Cadia in Gaelic and in this case, it literally meant "the house of God." 2

Early Origins of the Kadday family

The surname Kadday was first found in Yorkshire where Robert Cadi was listed as one of the Knights Templar in 1185. Later, Roger Cadye was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Sussex in 1296; and Henry Cadey, Cady was found in the Subsidy Rolls for Suffolk in 1327. 3

Later rolls revealed Margery Cade in Cambridgeshire in 1373 and William Cade in Lincolnshire in the same year. The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed Matilda Cadi; Robertus Cadison; and Johannes Cady, 1379 as all holding lands there at that time. 4

In Somerset, William Cade and Richard Cade were both listed there 1 Edward III (during the first year of King Edward III's reign.) 5

Further north in Scotland where many of the family claim descent, John Cady was a tenant under the earl of Douglas in the barony of Kylbouho in 1376 and Thomas Cady was presbyter in Glasgow in 1440. Peter Cady was burgess of Edinburgh, in 1484, and three persons named Cadie are in Edinburgh Marriage Register from 1606. 6

Early History of the Kadday family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Kadday research. Another 144 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1240, 1327, 1574, 1577 and 1641 are included under the topic Early Kadday History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kadday 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 Kadday family name include Caddy, Caddie, Caddey, Cade, Cadde, Caide, Caidey, Caidde, Kade, Kaddie, Kaiddy and many more.

Early Notables of the Kadday family

More information is included under the topic Early Kadday Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Kadday family

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, the Canadas, 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 Kadday surname or a spelling variation of the name include: James Caddy and Robert Caddy who were farming in Virginia in 1650 and William Caddy who settled in Barbados in 1634. Another James Caddy came from Wales to Boston in 1635.



  1. Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. Print.
  2. Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
  3. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  4. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  5. Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.
  6. 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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