Madden Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Madden last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
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Meaning and origin of the Madden last name
Meaning of the Madden last name: descendant of Madudhán ("little dog"). Madden comes from the Gaelic Ó Madáin, from a personal name built on the word for a dog, an animal admired for loyalty and courage in early Ireland. The family were lords of land in east Galway along the river Shannon. The name is still most common in Galway and its neighbouring counties. A curious detail: it travelled widely, and the American football coach John Madden was of Irish descent.
Arms associated with the Madden name
A curious Irish detail: many Gaelic families adopted arms only after Norman contact, blending old symbols with new heraldic rules, as Madden families did.
Get your full Madden family history
This is only a glimpse of the Madden story. The full Madden history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted Madden coat of arms. Get the full Madden report.
Madden name FAQ
What does the Madden name mean?
Descendant of Madudhán ("little dog"). Common variants include O'Madden, Madigan, Maddigan.
Where does the Madden surname come from?
It originates in Ireland, and is also found in the United States, England and Australia.
Is there a Madden coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Madden coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Researched by Herald Lab Research Studio, since 1993. Sources: MacLysaght, The Surnames of Ireland; Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford); US Census Bureau 2010.