MADDOCK
Maddock is a surname of Welsh provenance, principally deriving from the ancient Welsh personal name Madoc or Matoc. The name is generally interpreted to mean “fortunate” or “good‑ly”, a meaning that is preserved in the modern Welsh name Madog.
The earliest recorded instance of the name appears in the Hundred Rolls of Shropshire, dated 1274, under the form William Madoc. Earlier documentary evidence, such as the Domesday Book of 1086, records a person named Madoch in Gloucestershire, while the Pipe Rolls of Shropshire in 1161 and 1272 contain entries for Kenwrec filius Maddoc and Madoc de Sotton respectively. In later medieval records the surname evolves into forms such as Robert Mattok (Cheshire, 1290) and Robert Madduk (Wiltshire, 1297).
During the early modern period, individuals bearing the name emigrated to the New World. In March 1634 John Maddock, aged forty‑three, departed from London on the ship Planter bound for New England; a year later, Alexander Maddox, aged twenty‑two, sailed from the same port on the Abraham for Virginia. These movements reflect the broader dispersion of families of Welsh descent across the Atlantic.
The surname Maddock is associated with several heraldic traditions. A notable grant of a coat of arms was awarded to Sir Benjamin Maddox of Wormley, Hertfordshire; the shield is divided per pale, with blue and red fields, and bears two gold lions passant in pale. Across the family’s history more than fifteen heraldic coats of arms have been recorded, attesting to the name’s prominence in certain lineages.
Variants of the surname have arisen over time, frequently through regional pronunciation or anglicisation. Common alternate spellings include Maddox, Maddicks, Mattocks, Mattacks, and Madogs. While these variants are generally considered cognates, the specific family line often determines the exact spelling retained.
In contemporary times the surname remains most frequently found in the United Kingdom, particularly in regions with strong Welsh heritage. Nonetheless, because of historical migration patterns, it can also be encountered in the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, where Welsh emigrants settled. The name’s relative rarity preserves its distinctiveness, allowing individuals to trace genealogical links to their Welsh ancestry with a degree of precision afforded by the documented medieval and early modern records.
Typical given names associated with the Maddock surname
Male
- Andrew
- Christopher
- David
- James
- John
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Robert
- Stephen
Female
- Elizabeth
- Helen
- Jean
- Judith
- Julie
- Lesley
- Margaret
- Nicola
- Pamela
- Patricia
- Rebecca
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Maddock in...
Braille
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Morse
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There are approximately 4,125 people named Maddock in the UK. That makes it roughly the 2,259th most common surname in Britain. Around 63 in a million people in Britain are named Maddock.
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Maddock
- Diana Maddock, Baroness Maddock - Politician
- Suzanne Maddock - Actress
- Charlie Maddock - Engish taekwondo practitioner
- Jack Maddock - Football player (1896 to 1972)
- Thomas Maddock - Inventor and potter (1818 to 1899)
- Ieuan Maddock - Chief Scientist to the Department of Industry (1917 to 1988)
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.