Show ContentsO'Madden History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of O'Madden

What does the name O'Madden mean?

The surname O'Madden originally appeared in Gaelic as "Mac an Mhadaidh," which is probably derived from the word "madadh," which means "warrior, dog." 1

Another source claims the family claim descent through Owen Buac, brother of Owen Fionn, ancestor of O'Madadhain, of Connaught, slain, 1008; Anglicized O'Madden, Madden. The Madden family of Longford, County Galway, the O'Madden family of Balbriggan, County Dublin and the Madden family of Ulster are all branches of the original. 2

Alternatively, the name could have been from "descendant of little Matthew (gift of Jehovah.)" 3

Early Origins of the O'Madden family

The surname O'Madden was first found in County Galway (Irish: Gaillimh) part of the province of Connacht, located on the west coast of the Island, where they held a family seat from ancient times.

We did find this interesting entry for the Mudrigan variant in the parish of St. Martin, Cornwall, England: "Although this parish contains no manor, Mudgian is said formerly to have had manorial rights, when it belonged to a family of this name, and was their seat. From the Mudgians it passed with an heiress in marriage to the Chynoweths." 4

Early History of the O'Madden family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our O'Madden research. Another 126 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1347, 1556, 1567, 1677, 1713 and 1715 are included under the topic Early O'Madden History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

O'Madden Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: MacAvaddy, Madden, O'Madden, Madigan, Macavadan and others.

Early Notables of the O'Madden family

Notable among the family name at this time was

  • Ambrose O'Madden (died 1715), an Irish prelate of the Roman Catholic Church, Bishop of Clonfert from 1713 to 1715

Migration of the O'Madden family

Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: Edward Madden settled in New England in 1753; John Madden settled in Barbados in 1663; Andrew, Bernard, Daniel, David, Hugh, James, John, Mary, Patrick, Peter, Richard, Thomas and William Madden all arrived in Philadelphia between 1840 and 1860.



  1. Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
  2. O'Hart, John, Irish Pedigrees 5th Edition in 2 Volumes. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1976. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0737-4)
  3. Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
  4. Hutchins, Fortescue, The History of Cornwall, from the Earliest Records and Traditions to the Present Time. London: William Penaluna, 1824. Print


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