Caddell
A surname that most likely began as a Welsh personal-name form meaning “warlike,” though in some cases it may reflect a spelling shift from Caldwell.
The #8,617 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 80,866 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The name is usually linked to the Welsh personal name Cadell, built on cad, meaning “battle” or “warfare,” with a sense of “warlike” or “battle-bold.” Historical sources also suggest that some bearers may come from a later alteration of Caldwell, since spellings often shifted between Cadell, Caddell, Cadle, and related forms. Because the old scholarship is not fully consistent, the surname is best treated as having both a Welsh-name origin and, in some families, a secondary association with Caldwell.
History
The name appears in Scottish and northern British records in several spellings, including Cadell, Caddell, Kadell, and Keddle. In Scotland, it is associated with families recorded by the late medieval and early modern period, while later surname dictionaries also note possible links to Caldwell and regional pronunciation changes. The surname is uncommon in the modern United States.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same old Celtic element cad, meaning “battle,” turns up in a number of Welsh names, so Caddell belongs to a whole family of sturdy, martial-sounding surnames.
From the historical record
“CADDELL. Caddie. Cadell. Kadell. Keddle. CADDOW. Caddoo.”
— Varieties and Synonymes of Surnames and Christian Names in Ireland