Dodds
A patronymic surname meaning “son of Dod,” with Dod being an old personal name.
The #4,031 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 35,033 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Dodds is a patronymic surname formed from the personal name Dod or Doda, with the -s ending meaning “of” or “son of.” The name Dod is old, and early English records show forms such as Doda, Dode, and Dodo. In this sense, Dodds originally meant “Dod’s child” or “descendant of Dod.”
History
The name is well attested in medieval English records, and later became established as a hereditary surname. It is closely related to Dod, Dodd, Dodson, and regional spelling variants such as Dodge. The form appears in English sources and also in Scottish and Irish surname traditions, where it is usually treated as the same patronymic family of names.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The old personal name behind Dodds is recorded in medieval forms like Doda and Dodo, showing how short nickname-style names could become full surnames.
From the historical record
“Sadd, DaddB,BadM>n.— Bapt ■the son of Dod,' a variant of Dodd. Dodds, and Dodson, q.v. For fur- ther information, v. Dahbs and DadiwelL ibWUkidHn: Sl Ju. Clerker”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with special American instances