Cheddy History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
England

Etymology of Cheddy

What does the name Cheddy mean?

The Picts of ancient Scotland were the tribe of the ancestors of the Cheddy family. The name Cheddy is derived from the Gaelic surname Mac Adaidh, which means son of Adam. Addie, Addy, Adie, Eadie, Eddie, and Edie are all pet forms or double diminutives of the name Adam.

Early Origins of the Cheddy family

The surname Cheddy was first found in Perthshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Pheairt) former county in the present day Council Area of Perth and Kinross, located in central Scotland, where they held a family seat at Strathardle, in the valley of the Ardle Water.

The first of the Clan was Gillimichael M'Ade, famous in Strathardle tradition, who was alive in 1232. The name took on many forms as it emerged from the original Gaelic. MacAddie, MacKeddie, MacChaddy, and when it became fashionable to drop the Mac it became Addie, Keddie, Chaddy, even MacKiddie, and so on.

Their home and clan seat was deep in the forest of Strathardle at Petcarene. Some members of the Fergusons of the Balmacruchie became McAdies.

ONe of the first records of the family was "the ship of John Kede, a Scotsman, was wrecked at Holkham, Norfolk, England, in 1388," 1 but from that early recording we must wait almost two centuries to find the next. The same source note that "John Kady was in record in Dysart, 1577, Margaret Keddie in Falsyde, parish of Roberton, 1623, and Dorathia Kadie, was heir of Alexander Kadie, tailor in Edinburgh, 1616. " 1

Early History of the Cheddy family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cheddy research. Another 121 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1635, 1639, 1647, 1664 and 1670 are included under the topic Early Cheddy History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cheddy Spelling Variations

Before the first dictionaries appeared in the last few hundred years, scribes spelled according to sound. spelling variations are common among Scottish names. Cheddy has been spelled MacAddie, McAddie, MacKeddie, McKeddy, MacKiddie, McKiddie, MacKedy, McKedy, MacKeddey, McKeddey, MacAdie, McAdie, Keddy, Keddie, Cheddy, Cheddie, Keddey, Kedy, Kiddie, Kiddy, Cheddey, MacEddie, McEddie, MacEddy, McEddy, Kede, Ceddy, Keddie, MacAdie and many more.

Early Notables of the Cheddy family

More information is included under the topic Early Cheddy Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Cheddy family

In those unstable times, many had no choice but to leave their beloved homelands. Sickness and poverty hounded travelers to North America, but those who made it were welcomed with land and opportunity. These settlers gave the young nations of Canada and the United States a strong backbone as they stood up for their beliefs as United Empire Loyalists and in the American War of Independence. In this century, the ancestors of these brave Scots have begun to recover their illustrious heritage through Clan societies and other heritage organizations. Early passenger and immigration lists reveal many Scottish settlers bearing the name Cheddy: James Kedie arrived in Pennsylvania in 1799.

Sources +

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)