When the Strongbownians arrived in
Ireland, they encountered an established Irish system for creating
hereditary surnames. However, like the Irish, the Anglo-Norman Strongbownians frequently had
patronymic surnames, a form of surname that was formed from the name of the bearer's father, or another older relative. Therefore, since the Strongbownians' system was in many ways built on the same principles as the Irish, the two systems eventually attained a sort of merger. Since the Stronbownian's names often had Norman names which were French, diminutive suffixes, such as -ot, -et, -un, -in, or -el were added to the name of the bearer's father, or older relative. Another Norman way of creating a patronymic name was to use the prefix Fitz-, which was derived from the French word "fils," and ultimately from the Latin "
filius," both of which mean son. The surname Whaddan is derived from the
personal name Berold. In
Munster, the Gaelic form of the surname Whaddan is Baróid, while in
Connacht, the Gaelic form is Bairéid.
Early Origins of the Whaddan family
The surname Whaddan was first found in
Lincolnshire, where Matthew Baret was recorded between 1150 and 1155. The Barret family was also established in the English counties of
Nottinghamshire,
Hertfordshire,
Hampshire,
Yorkshire and
Essex. However, they joined
Strongbow in his invasion of
Ireland in 1172 at the invitation of the King of
Leinster, Dermot McMurrough.
Strongbow granted lands to the family in
County Cork and
County Mayo where they became staunchly Irish.
Early History of the Whaddan family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Whaddan research.
Another 311 words (22 lines of text) covering the years 1691, 1415, 1400, 1400, 1410, 1412, 1693, 1631 and 1713 are included under the topic Early Whaddan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Whaddan Spelling Variations
A single person's name was often spelt simply as it sounded by medieval scribes and church officials. An investigation into the specific origins the name Whaddan has revealed that such a practice has resulted in many
spelling variations over the years. A few of its variants include: Barrett, Barret, Barett, Baret, Barratt, Barrat, Barat, Baratt, McWhadden and many more.
Early Notables of the Whaddan family (pre 1700)
Notable amongst the family up to this time was Lord of Tirawley; Patrick Barrett (died 1415), an Irishman who held religious and secular high offices in
Ireland, an Augustinian Canon at Kells Priory in County
Kilkenny, Bishop of Ferns (appointed 1400), concentrated bishop at Rome (1400), Lord Chancellor...
Another 47 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Whaddan Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Whaddan family to the New World and Oceana
Ireland experienced a dramatic decrease in its population during the 19th century. This was in a great measure, a response to England's imperialistic policies. Hunger and disease took the lives of many Irish people and many more chose to leave their homeland to escape the horrific conditions. North America with its promise of work, freedom, and land was an extremely popular destination for
Irish families. For those families that survived the journey, all three of these things were often attained through much hard work and perseverance. Research into early immigration and passenger lists revealed many immigrants bearing the name Whaddan: Henry Barrett who settled in Virginia in 1652; Francis Barrett in Virginia in 1653; Patrick Barrett settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1789. In Newfoundland, John, of Poole,
Dorset,
England, settled in Bread and Cheese Cove, around 1728.