Show ContentsStoddart History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

A family in an ancient Scottish tribe called the Boernician were the ancestors of the first to use Stoddart as a surname. It is a name for a breeder of horses. The name comes from the Old English terms stod, meaning a stud of horses, and hierde, which means herd. The name as a whole has a meaning of horse-keeper. 1 2 3

Early Origins of the Stoddart family

The surname Stoddart was first found in Northumberland and Cumberland, just south of the Scottish border. "The earliest mention of this surname in Scotland is in 1376 when David Stodhirde, John Studehird, and William Studhirde are recorded as tenants of Douglas in barony of Buittle. Sir James Stodart was presented to a chaplaincy in the Collegiate Church of Methven, 1516. 4

Early History of the Stoddart family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Stoddart research. Another 87 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1376, 1568, 1810, 1826 and 1880 are included under the topic Early Stoddart History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Stoddart Spelling Variations

A lack of rules and the tendency of scribes to spell according to the sound of the word plagued medieval spelling. Not surprisingly, an enormous number of spelling variations appeared. Stoddart has been written Stoddart, Stoddard, Stodart, Stodhard, Stodhart, Stothert and many more.

Early Notables of the Stoddart family

Notable amongst the family name during their early history was

  • Thomas Tod Stoddart (1810-1880), angler and poet, born on 14 Feb...
  • He was the eldest son of Captain (afterwards Admiral) Pringle Stoddart, a descendant of the Stouthearts of Liddesdale and Ettrick, and his wife Frances, daughter of James Sprot...
  • One of his professors was John Wilson, the celebrated ‘Christopher North,’ in whose house young Stoddart met De Quincey, Hartley Coleridge, the Ettrick Shepherd, Aytoun, Ferrier, Henry Glassford Bell...


Stoddart migration to the United States +

Many Scots crossed the Atlantic for North America hoping to escape poverty, as well as persecution. Much of their heritage was lost along the way and overtime. This century, however, Clan societies and highland games have allowed many ancestral Scots to recover their birthright. An examination of many early immigration records reveals that people bearing the name Stoddart arrived in North America very early:

Stoddart Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Soloman Stoddart, who arrived in America in 1679 5
Stoddart Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Lawrence Stoddart, aged 24, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1774 5
  • William Stoddart, who settled in Virginia in 1774
  • Lawrence Stoddart, who settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1774
Stoddart Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • John Stoddart, aged 24, who landed in New York in 1812 5
  • Alexander Stoddart, aged 41, who landed in Mobile, Ala in 1850 5
  • L Stoddart, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 5

Stoddart migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Stoddart Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century
  • Jessie Stoddart, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1907

Stoddart migration to Australia +

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

Stoddart Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • David Stoddart, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Fairfield" in 1839 6
  • Lawrence Stoddart, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Palmyra" in 1839 7
  • Mary Ann Stoddart, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Palmyra" in 1839 7
  • Thomas Stoddart, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Palmyra" in 1839 7
  • Mary Stoddart, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Palmyra" in 1839 7
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Stoddart migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Stoddart Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • James Stoddart, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1841
  • Mr. Stoddart, British schoolmaster travelling from London aboard the ship "Randolph" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand in September 1850 8
  • Mrs. Stoddart, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Randolph" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand in September 1850 8
  • Miss Rebecca Stoddart, (b. 1837), aged 22, British settler travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Roman Emperor" arriving in Lyttlelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 26th January 1860 8
  • Mr. Pringle F. Stoddart, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Lady Egidia" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 9th February 1861 9
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Stoddart (post 1700) +

  • William Lee Stoddart (1868-1940), American architect, best known for his hotels in the eastern United States
  • James Fraser Stoddart FRS FRSE FRSC (b. 1942), Scottish chemist, Board of Trustees Professor of Chemistry and head of the Stoddart Mechanostereochemistry Group in the Department of Chemistry at Northwestern University in the United States
  • Thomas Tod Stoddart (1810-1880), Scottish angler and poet from Edinburgh, eldest son of Captain (afterwards Admiral) Pringle Stoddart, a descendant of the Stouthearts of Liddesdale and Ettrick
  • Thomas Stoddart (1953-2021), British photojournalist, best known for his capture of the fall of the Berlin Wall
  • Paul Stoddart (b. 1955), Australian millionaire airline magnate, and former owner of the Minardi Formula One racing team
  • Jennifer Stoddart (b. 1949), 6th Privacy Commissioner of Canada (2003-2013)
  • David Leonard Stoddart (1926-2020), Baron Stoddart of Swindon, English peer and politician who served as Member of Parliament for Swindon from 1970 to 1983
  • Sir John Stoddart (1773-1856), English journalist, eldest son of John Stoddart, lieutenant in the royal navy, born at Salisbury
  • Colonel Charles Stoddart (1806-1842), British officer and diplomat, born at Ipswich, the son of Major Stephen Stoddart (1763–1812), of the 6th dragoons
  • Peter Laurence Bowring Stoddart (b. 1934), former English cricketer
  • ... (Another 4 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


The Stoddart 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: Post nubes lux
Motto Translation: After clouds light.


  1. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  2. Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
  3. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  4. 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)
  5. 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)
  6. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) FAIRFIELD 1839. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1839Fairfield.htm
  7. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) PALMYRA 1839. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1839Palmyra.htm
  8. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  9. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html


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