McFadden Surname Meaning & Origin
What the McFadden last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
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Meaning and origin of the McFadden last name
Meaning of the McFadden last name: son of little Patrick. McFadden is an Irish and Scottish surname from Gaelic Mac Pháidín, "son of Páidín", a pet form of Patrick. Scottish MacFadyens lived on Mull, and the name was carried to Ulster, where it is most common in Donegal. Ulster emigrants took the last name to Pennsylvania and the American South in the 1700s. A curious detail of this surname origin: it means, quite simply, "son of little Patrick".
Arms associated with the McFadden name
Irish coats of arms often carry a motto in Irish or Latin, and the heraldry associated with the McFadden surname shares that habit.
Get your full McFadden family history
This is only a glimpse of the McFadden story. The full McFadden 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 McFadden coat of arms. Get the full McFadden report.
McFadden name FAQ
What does the McFadden name mean?
Son of little Patrick. Common variants include McFadyen, MacFadyen.
Where does the McFadden surname come from?
It originates in Northern Ireland, and is also found in the United States, Scotland and Ireland.
Is there a McFadden coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized McFadden coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Sources: George F. Black, The Surnames of Scotland (New York Public Library, 1946); MacLysaght, The Surnames of Ireland; Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford).