"Dudding" a Rare Surname
Map Showing Distribution of Dudding Surname in USA

Dudding Surname Map Explanation

The color of each state indicates how frequently you will find someone with this surname, Dudding, in each state. For instance, if a state is colored red, then 1 in 100 people (or more) in that state have the surname, Dudding. Similarly, orange means 1 in 200 have the surname, Dudding; yellow means approximately 1 in 300 have the surname, Dudding; yellow-green means 1 in 450 have the surname, Dudding; green means 1 in 1,000 have the surname, Dudding; blue-green means 1 in 2,450 have the surname, Dudding; light-blue means 1 in 5,000 have the surname, Dudding; blue means 1 in 7,450 have the surname, Dudding; and dark-blue means 1 in 10,000 (or less) have the surname, Dudding.  In other words, the state with the most people with the Dudding surname is clearly West Virginia, where approximately 1 in 5,000 people have the surname, Dudding.

One in a Million

I've been building a file about the Dudding family history for over twelve years. Three years ago my son sent me a computer disk with the telephone listing of every Dudding in the United states. When I looked over the list of 238 names, my first thoughts were to add it to my growing collection in the file, but the evidence that out of 230 million Americans there were only 238 Duddings prompted me to finally begin writing.

In the 60 years I've been on this earth, I've never met a Dudding who was more distantly related to me than a second cousin. To my surprise, there were 238 names on the list of which I only knew of a couple of dozen. I discovered two others on the list were named Lloyd Dudding. Here are a few other statistics from the list:

blue diamond The city with the most Duddings is New Castle, Virginia with 14 listed.

blue diamond After that is Roanoke, VA - 7 and Huntington, WV - 5.

blue diamond There are 120 cities which only have one Dudding in them.

blue diamond Eleven states have only one Dudding in them.

blue diamond37 states which have at least one Dudding listed.

blue diamond Alabama, Hawaii, Idaho, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, Washington, Wyoming and District of Columbia do not have a single Dudding on this liSt.

Hard to Spell and Harder to Pronounce

I've received mail addressed to "Lloyd Dubbing", "Lloyd Dunning", "Lloyd Dutting" and once traveled across the country to a 10 day, executive conference on Long Island where I was pre-registered, printed name tag and all as L. Pudding. The girl who checked me in said that for the past month they'd been wagering as to whether or not the "L" stood for "Lemon" or "Lime". I can spot a telemarketer in an instant when I pick up the phone and hear, "Is this Mr. Doodling?" What is it that is so difficult about spelling or pronouncing the name Dudding, anyway?

Granddad, Hamilton Morris Dudding, told the story, "Two brothers ... named Duddingston

When I was around 15 years old, my Granddad told me a family story about the original Dudding of our family in the United states. As Granddad, Hamilton Morris Dudding, told the story, "Two brothers immigrated from England in the 1700's, but their name was Duddingston, not Dudding. At some point there was an argument between the two Duddingston brothers which created a life-long rift between them, and our relative shortened his name to Dudding to show his disdain. So, Granddad said, "If you ever meet a person named Duddingston, he is probably related to you".

Loch Duddingston Monster?

I've never met a Duddingston, but a few years ago, my wife made a trip to Scotland and visited the town of Duddingston near Edinburgh. She brought back pictures of "Duddingston Pub" and a street map which shows Duddingston Road and Loch Duddingston. Hey! Maybe there's a Loch Duddingston Monster?

Scottish Surname

As I began to organize this project in my mind, I thought the place to start was the etymology of the name Dudding. I'm sure the reader will be no more surprised than I was with the first three words of the etymology, A rare surname. People I meet remark that they have never heard the name before. I tell them the only place I meet a person named Dudding is at a really big family reunion or funeral.

Etymology

The following two entries are quoted from The Surnames Of Scotland by the New York Public Library, p. 225:

"DUDDING. A rare surname. Most probably from the Dodin who gave name to DUDDINGstON, q.v. Dudyn de Broughtune was one of the witnesses at the 'enquiry' into the marches of stobbo, c. 1190 (REG., p. 89), and an Alisaundre Dudyn of Peeblesshire rendered homage for his lands in 1298 (Bain, II, p. 207). The etymology of Dud(d)a or Dod(d)a is uncertain and a matter of debate among philologists."

"DUDDINGstON. Of territorial origin from the lands of Duddingston now included within Edinburgh. Malcolm IV confirmed the gift of the lands of Walthe of filius Arnabol to the Abby of Kelso (Kelso 39). The Dodin here mentioned is doubtless the Dodin of Dodinston who witnessed a charter by Henry de Simpring of the Church of Simpring to Kelso, c. 1153-65 (Kelso, p. 226), and the Dodin who held a toft 'super Tweda' which William the Lion confirmed to the same abby, c. 1165-80 (Kelso, p. 28). Dudyn de Broughtune who was one of the witnesses at the 'enquiry' into the marches of stobbo, c. 1190 (REG., p. 89) is perhaps the same person. Shortly before 1200, Hugh de uilla Dodin witnessed a charter by William the Lion (LSC., 33) , Richard de Dodinestun witnessed a charter by Herbert, abbot of Kelso, to Thomas filius Reginaldus de Boscho of the land of Esterdodinestun, c. 1219-26 (Kelso, p. 197), and about 1230 he witnessed a charter by the second Henry de Brade of the tithes of Baueley (Bavelaw) to the monks of Holyrood (LSC., p. 45). William de Dodingstone, burgess of Edinburgh, was granted freedom from 'distraint' in England for all debts in which he is not principal or guarantee in 1290 (Bain, II, 427), and Elayne de Dudingestone of the county of Edinburgh rendered homage for her lands in 1296 (ibid., p. 208). John Dodingstoun or de Dodingstoun had a charter from Robert I of the lands of Pitcorthie in Fife which Richard Syward resigned (RMS., I, App. II, 495), and stephen Dudingstoune of Sandford was charged in 1558 with abiding from the raid of Lauder (Trials, I, p. 104)."

 

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