Contents [hide]

Maddox History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Maddox History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Wales
Ireland

Etymology of Maddox

What does the name Maddox mean?

The Welsh surname Maddox is derived from the early Welsh personal name Madoc. This was also written as Madawc and Madog, from the Old Welsh name Matoc, which had the literal meaning of goodly. 1

Early Origins of the Maddox family

The surname Maddox was first found in the Domesday Book of 1086 where the singular name Madoch is recorded in Gloucestershire. 2

"Madoc an ancient Welsh personal name. One Madoch was a tenant in chief in Herefordshire at the making of Domesday. He was doubtless a Welshman by birth." 3

Dusting off more old references, we found Oenus filius Madoc in the Pipe Rolls for Salop (Shropshire) in 1160; Maddock le Waleys in the Assize Rolls for Staffordshire in 1283; and William Madoc in the Hundredorum Rolls for Shropshire in 1274. In Cheshire, Robert Mattok was listed there in the Assize Rolls for 1290 and Robert Madduk and Stephen Madek was found in Colchester in 1297. 4

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included: Madoc de Sotton; Tudor ab Madoc; and Maddoc le Estrange. All were from Shropshire. 5

"Maddock and Maddocks, forms of the ancient Welsh personal name of Madoc, have characterised Wales and the English border shires for ages. Madoch was the name of a Herefordshire tenant in Domesday times, whilst Maddox is still an old Hereford name. In the reign of Edward. I. there were persons of the name of Madoc in Shropshire (H. R.), in which county the names of Maddock and Maddocks still occur. Maddock is now a frequent name in Chester and its neighbourhood, and John Maddock was mayor of Chester in 1676 (Ormerod). Maddocks was the name of a very ancient family of Llanfrynach, Brecknockshire (Jones' "Brecknockshire")." 6

Early History of the Maddox family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Maddox research. Another 116 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1571, 1598, 1612, 1697, 1736 and 1759 are included under the topic Early Maddox History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Maddox Spelling Variations

Although there are comparatively few Welsh surnames, they have a great many spelling variations. Variations of Welsh names began almost immediately after their acceptance within Welsh society. In the Middle Ages, it was up to priests and the few other people that recorded names in official documents to decide how to spell the names that they heard. Variations that occurred because of improper recording increased dramatically as the names were later transliterated into English. The Brythonic Celtic language of Wales, known by natives as Cymraeg, featured many highly inflected sounds that could not be properly captured by the English language. Spelling variations were, however, also carried out according to an individual's design: a branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even patriotic affiliations were all indicated by the particular variation of one's name. The spelling variations of the name Maddox have included Maddox, Maddix, Maddick, Mattick, Matticks, Mattix, Maddock, Maddockes, Maddocks, Madocks, Madox, Madoch, Mattock and many more.

Early Notables of the Maddox family

Prominent amongst the family during the late Middle Ages was

Isaac Maddox (1697-1759), Bishop of St. Asaph in 1736

Maddox Ranking

In the United States, the name Maddox is the 752^nd most popular surname with an estimated 39,792 people with that name. 7

Migration of the Maddox family to Ireland

Some of the Maddox family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Maddox migration to the United States +

Many Welsh joined the great migrations to North America in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Like their Scottish and Irish neighbors, many Welsh families left their homeland hoping to find hope and prosperity in a land that the English did not exercise a tight rule over. Those Welsh immigrants that successfully traveled to North America went on to make significant contributions to the rapid development of both Canada and the United States in terms of the settling of land and the establishment of industry. They also added to the rich cultural heritage of both countries. An examination into the immigration and passenger lists has discovered a number of people bearing the name Maddox:

Maddox Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Thomas Maddox, who landed in Virginia in 1622 8
Jo Maddox, aged 43, who arrived in New England in 1635 aboard the ship "Planter" 8
John Maddox, who settled in Boston in 1635
Alexander Maddox, aged 22, British settler who landed in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship "Abraham" 8
James Maddox, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1638 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Maddox Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

J A Maddox, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1850 8
J F Maddox, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 8
E Maddox, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 8
M Maddox, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1860 8

Maddox migration to Australia +

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

Maddox Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. William Maddox, English convict who was convicted in London, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Baring" in April 1815, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 9
Mr. Edward Maddox, (Maddocks), (b. 1799), aged 22, English carter who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for 7 years for felony, transported aboard the "Claudine" on 20th May 1821, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he died in 1832 10
Dennis Maddox, English convict from London, who was transported aboard the "Albion" on May 29, 1828, settling in New South Wales, Australia 11
Mr. Joseph Maddox, British Convict who was convicted in Warwick, Warwickshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Dunvegan Castle" on 13th March 1830, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 12
Mr. Illidge Maddox, English convict who was convicted in Birmingham, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Eden" on 8th July 1840, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 13

Maddox 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:

Maddox Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Sarah Maddox, aged 16, a servant, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Bolton" in 1840
Thomas Maddox, aged 29, a farmer, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Sir Charles Forbes" in 1842
Ann Maddox, aged 22, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Sir Charles Forbes" in 1842
Thomas Maddox, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Sir Charles Forbes" in 1842
Michael Maddox, aged 26, a wagon maker, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Salisbury" in 1874
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Maddox migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 14

Maddox Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

James Maddox, who settled in Barbados in 1654

Contemporary Notables of the name Maddox (post 1700) +

Alton Henry Maddox Jr. (1945-2023), American lawyer who was involved in several high-profile civil rights cases in the 1980s
Cynthia Maddox (b. 1941), American model, best known for appearing on the cover of Playboy magazine five times
Brenda Maddox FRSL (1932-2019), Lady Maddox, American writer, journalist, and biographer
Bronwen Maddox (b. 1963), American-born, British journalist, director and CEO of think tank Chatham House since August 2022
Tom Maddox (1945-2022), American science fiction writer, known for his part in the early cyberpunk movement
Brigadier-General Louis Wilson Maddox (1891-1956), American Chief Finance Officer US Army Forces Far East (1943-1945) 15
Major-General Halley Grey Maddox (1899-1977), American Deputy Commanding General US Forces Army Europe (1956-1957) 16
William A. T. Maddox (1814-1889), American marine, eponym of USS Maddox (DD-168), USS Maddox (DD-622) and the USS Maddox (DD-731)
Thomas "Tommy" Alfred Maddox Maddox (b. 1971), American NFL football quarterback
Scott Maddox (b. 1968), American politician, mayor of Tallahassee, Florida
... (Another 17 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Maddox family +

USS Arizona

Mr. Raymond Dudley Maddox, American Chief Electrician's Mate-Permanent from California, USA working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he died in the sinking 17

Citations +

Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/baring
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th February 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/claudine
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2014, November 24) Albion voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1828 with 192 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/albion/1828
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 12th August 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/dunvegan-castle
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 20th October 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eden
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2012, April 11) Louis Maddox. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Maddox/Louis_Wilson/USA.html
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2012, April 11) Halley Maddox. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Maddox/Halley_Grey/USA.html
Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html