Show ContentsMcCudden History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The original Gaelic form of the Irish name McCudden was written as Mac Cadain, derived from the ancient Irish forename Cadan.

Early Origins of the McCudden family

The surname McCudden was first found in County Armagh (Irish: Ard Mhacha) located in the province of Ulster in present day Northern Ireland, where they held a family seat from early times.

Early History of the McCudden family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McCudden research. Another 125 words (9 lines of text) are included under the topic Early McCudden History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McCudden Spelling Variations

Numerous spelling variations of the surname McCudden exist. A partial explanation for these variants is that ancient scribes and church officials recorded names as they were pronounced, often resulting in a single person being recorded under several different spellings. Different spellings that were found include Cadden, Caden, Caddin, McCadden, McWadden and others.

Early Notables of the McCudden family

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


United States McCudden migration to the United States +

Many destitute Irish families in the 18th and 19th centuries decided to leave their homeland, which had in many ways been scarred by English colonial rule. One of the most frequent destinations for these families was North America where it was possible for an Irish family to own their own parcel of land. Many of the early settlers did find land awaiting them in British North America, or even later in America, but for the majority of immigrants that arrived as a result of the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s the ownership of land was often a long way off. These Irish people were initially put to work on such industrial projects as the building of bridges, canals, and railroads, or they worked at manufacturing positions within factories. Whenever they arrived, the Irish made enormous contributions to the infant nations of Canada and the United States. Some of the earliest immigrants to bearer the name of McCudden were found through extensive research of immigration and passenger lists:

McCudden Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • William McCudden, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1832 [1]

Australia McCudden migration to Australia +

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

McCudden Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. John Mccudden, (b. 1797), aged 45, Irish solider from Armagh who was convicted in Pune (Poonah), India for life for desertion from the army, transported aboard the "Flora" in 1829, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1835 [2]

Contemporary Notables of the name McCudden (post 1700) +

  • Leo B. McCudden, American fighter pilot and flying ace in the U.S. Navy, during World War II, credited with 5 aerial victories
  • Jenny McCudden, Irish journalist
  • Robert McCudden (b. 1962), professional Australian rules footballer
  • Second Lieutenant John Anthony McCudden (1897-1918), English World War I flying ace with 8 victories
  • James Thomas Byford McCudden VC, DSO & Bar, MC & Bar, MM (1895-1918), English ace with 57 victories, recipient of the Victoria Cross


  1. 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)
  2. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 5th October 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/flora


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