WADDINGTON
The surname Waddington is an English locational name that has its roots in the British Isles. It was originally applied to people who moved away from a particular settlement and were identified by the place to which they had formerly belonged.
In its earliest form the name appears under several spellings such as Wadington, Waddington, Wodington, Wadiham and Waddingham. All of these variants are linked to villages called Waddington in Surrey, Lincolnshire and the West Riding of Yorkshire, and to Waddiham in Lincolnshire. The modern spelling Waddington reflects the standardised form that became common in the late medieval period.
The etymology of the name is derived from Old English. The personal name Wada was combined with the suffix -ing, meaning ‘the tribe or people of’, and the element tun or ham, meaning a settlement or enclosure. Thus, the place was originally understood as ‘the settlement of the Wada people’. An alternative explanation, used in some sources, emphasises the Old English word wæddel ‘a bundle of twigs’ together with tun, rendering the meaning ‘a settlement characterised by a bundle of twigs or a thicket.’ Both views are supported by recorded placenames and medieval descriptions.
The earliest extant record of the name is that of Ogis de Wadinton, dated 1169 in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire. This appearance occurs during the reign of King Henry I, who was known as ‘The Builder of Churches’. Other early references include William de Wodiham in the Hundred Rolls of Norfolk in 1273, Walter de Wadington in the Assize Court Rolls of Lancashire in 1276, and Laurencius de Wadyngton in the Poll Tax register of Yorkshire in 1379.
In the span of several centuries the name was associated with a number of notable individuals. Walter Waddingham was christened at Coningsby in Lincolnshire on 17 December 1592. A later bearer, Hanna Waddington, aged only sixteen, was among the first emigrants to the New World colony of Virginia, sailing from London aboard the ship Safety in August 1635.
Throughout English history the surname Waddington has remained a clear example of how place names were adopted as family names, providing a concise way to identify individuals who had departed from their ancestral villages. Its persistence into the present day attests to the enduring nature of locational surnames in British culture.
Typical given names associated with the Waddington surname
Male
- Andrew
- David
- Ian
- James
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Richard
- Robert
Female
- Elizabeth
- Emma
- Helen
- Julie
- Linda
- Margaret
- Mary
- Patricia
- Sarah
- Susan
- Victoria
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 Waddington in...
Braille
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Morse
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There are approximately 6,316 people named Waddington in the UK. That makes it roughly the 1,502nd most common surname in Britain. Around 97 in a million people in Britain are named Waddington.
Surname type: Location or geographical feature
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Waddington
- Steven Waddington - Actor
- Bill Waddington - Actor (1916 to 2000)
- David Waddington, Baron Waddington - Politician (1929 to 2017)
- Abe Waddington - Cricket player of England. (1893 to 1959)
- Tony Waddington - Football manager (1924 to 1994)
- Patrick Waddington - Actor (1903 to 1987)
- Mark Waddington - Football player
- Leslie Waddington - (1934 to 2015)
- Steve Waddington - Football player
- Tony Waddington - Film producer, songwriter, record producer, and music industry executive
- Sue Waddington - Politician
- John Waddington - Cricketer (1910 to 1995)
- Robert Waddington - Dean of Manchester (1927 to 2007)
- Alfred Waddington - Canadian politician (1801 to 1872)
- George Waddington - Clergyman, traveller and church historian (1793 to 1869)
- Charles Waddington - Army engineer; British major-general (1796 to 1858)
- John Waddington - Nonconformist (1810 to 1880)
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.