Show ContentsMaddocks History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Welsh surname Maddocks is derived from the early Welsh personal name Madoc. This was also written as Madawc and Madog, from the Old Welsh name Matoc, which had the literal meaning of goodly. 1

Early Origins of the Maddocks family

The surname Maddocks was first found in the Domesday Book of 1086 where the singular name Madoch is recorded in Gloucestershire. 2

"Madoc an ancient Welsh personal name. One Madoch was a tenant in chief in Herefordshire at the making of Domesday. He was doubtless a Welshman by birth." 3

Dusting off more old references, we found Oenus filius Madoc in the Pipe Rolls for Salop (Shropshire) in 1160; Maddock le Waleys in the Assize Rolls for Staffordshire in 1283; and William Madoc in the Hundredorum Rolls for Shropshire in 1274. In Cheshire, Robert Mattok was listed there in the Assize Rolls for 1290 and Robert Madduk and Stephen Madek was found in Colchester in 1297. 4

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included: Madoc de Sotton; Tudor ab Madoc; and Maddoc le Estrange. All were from Shropshire. 5

"Maddock and Maddocks, forms of the ancient Welsh personal name of Madoc, have characterised Wales and the English border shires for ages. Madoch was the name of a Herefordshire tenant in Domesday times, whilst Maddox is still an old Hereford name. In the reign of Edward. I. there were persons of the name of Madoc in Shropshire (H. R.), in which county the names of Maddock and Maddocks still occur. Maddock is now a frequent name in Chester and its neighbourhood, and John Maddock was mayor of Chester in 1676 (Ormerod). Maddocks was the name of a very ancient family of Llanfrynach, Brecknockshire (Jones' "Brecknockshire")." 6

Early History of the Maddocks family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Maddocks research. Another 116 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1571, 1598, 1612, 1697, 1736 and 1759 are included under the topic Early Maddocks History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Maddocks Spelling Variations

There are relatively few surnames native to Wales, but they have an inordinately large number of spelling variations. Early variations of Welsh surnames can be explained by the fact that very few people in the early Middle Ages were literate. Priests and the few other literate people were responsible for recording names in official documents. And because most people could not specific how to properly record their names it was up to the individual recorder of that time to determine how a spoken name should be recorded. Variations due to the imprecise or improper recording of a name continued later in history when names originally composed in the Brythonic Celtic, language of Wales, known by natives as Cymraeg, were transliterated into English. Welsh names that were documented in English often changed dramatically since the native language of Wales, which was highly inflected, did not copy well. Occasionally, however, spelling variations were carried out according to an individual's specific design: a branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even patriotic affiliations could be indicated by minor variations. The spelling variations of the name Maddocks have included Maddox, Maddix, Maddick, Mattick, Matticks, Mattix, Maddock, Maddockes, Maddocks, Madocks, Madox, Madoch, Mattock and many more.

Early Notables of the Maddocks family

Another 39 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Maddocks Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Maddocks Ranking

In the United States, the name Maddocks is the 17,673rd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 7

Migration of the Maddocks family to Ireland

Some of the Maddocks family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Maddocks migration to the United States +

Many Welsh families joined their Scottish and Irish neighbors during the late 1800s and early 1900s in seeking refuge in North America. Like the Irish and Scottish, many Welsh anxiously awaited the work, freedom, and opportunities that they believed lay in North America. Those who did journey over to the United States and what became known as Canada often realized those dreams, but only through much toil and perseverance. Whenever and however these Welsh immigrants arrived in North America, they were instrumental in the creation of the industry, commerce, and cultural heritage within those two developing nations. In the immigration and passenger lists a number of early immigrants bearing the name Maddocks were found:

Maddocks Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Henry Maddocks, who settled in Maine in 1630
  • Margarett Maddocks, aged 21, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 8
  • Stephen Maddocks, who landed in Maryland in 1663 8
  • William Maddocks, who settled in Virginia in 1663
Maddocks Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • William Maddocks, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1866 8
Maddocks Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Edith M. Maddocks, aged 28, who immigrated to the United States from Macclesfield, England, in 1904
  • Elizabeth Maddocks, aged 24, who settled in America from Carmarthen, Wales, in 1914
  • Alice Emmaline Maddocks, aged 30, who immigrated to America from Gotham, England, in 1921
  • Daniel Maddocks, aged 24, who landed in America from Gotham, England, in 1921
  • Alexander T. Maddocks, aged 18, who landed in America from Birmingham, England, in 1922
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Maddocks migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Maddocks Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Samuel Maddocks, a cabinet-maker, who arrived in New South Wales, Australia sometime between 1825 and 1832
  • Mr. William Maddocks, British convict who was convicted in Bedford, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Henry Tanner" on 27th June 1834, settling in New South Wales, Australia 9
  • Mr. John Maddocks, English convict who was convicted in Staffordshire, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "David Clarke" on 3rd June 1841, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 10
  • Mr. George Maddocks, British Convict who was convicted in London, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Eden" on 12th March 1842, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Island) 11
  • James Maddocks, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Aden" in 1849 12
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Maddocks (post 1700) +

  • Major-General Ray Tyson Maddocks (1895-1973), American Commanding General 3rd Armored Division (1947-1948) 13
  • Mr. Christopher Lloyd Maddocks B.E.M. (b. 1957), British retired race walker, was appointed Medallist of the British Empire Medal 29th December 2018 for services to Athletics 14
  • Mrs. Eleanor Maddocks M.B.E., British Chief Executive for West Lancashire Liberty Centre, was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire on 29th December 2018 for services to Victims of Domestic Violence and Abuse in West Lancashire 14
  • Leonard Victor "Len" Maddocks (1926-2016), Australian cricketer and cricket administrator who played in seven Tests from 1954 to 1956
  • Captain Henry Hollingdrake Maddocks (b. 1898), English World War I flying ace credited with seven aerial victories
  • Peter Maddocks (b. 1928), British cartoonist
  • Sir Kenneth Maddocks (1907-2001), British colonial official, Governor and Commander-in-Chief of Fiji (1958 to 1963)
  • Sir Henry Maddocks (1871-1931), British Conservative Party Member of Parliament
  • Richard Ivor Maddocks (1928-1968), Australian first-class cricketer
  • Christopher "Chris" Lloyd Maddocks (b. 1957), English Olympic race walker at the 2000 Summer Olympics
  • ... (Another 1 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Senghenydd colliery
  • Mr. John Maddocks (b. 1871), Welsh coal miner from Senghenydd, Caerphilly, Wales who was working at the Senghenydd colliery when there was an explosion on the 14th October 1913; he died 15
  • Mr. Thomas Maddocks (b. 1897), Welsh coal miner from Senghenydd, Caerphilly, Wales who was working at the Senghenydd colliery when there was an explosion on the 14th October 1913; he died 15


  1. Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
  2. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  3. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  4. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  5. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  6. Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
  7. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  8. 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)
  9. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 7th January 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/henry-tanner
  10. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 3rd June 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/david-clarke
  11. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 15th December 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eden
  12. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Aden from London via Plymouth Adealide Arriving September 12th 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849AdenRegister.htm
  13. Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2012, April 11) Ray Maddocks. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Maddocks/Ray_Tyson/USA.html
  14. "Birthday and New Year Honours Lists (1940 to 2019)." Issue 62507, 28 December 2018 | London Gazette, The Gazette, Dec. 2018, www.thegazette.co.uk/honours-lists
  15. Universal Colliery Senghenydd 1913 disaster retrieved 21st September 2019, retrieved from http://www.welshcoalmines.co.uk/deathrolls/SenghenyddDead1913.htm


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