Dudy History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany
Poland

The name Dudy is an ancient Anglo-Saxon name that was given to a person who was a person who was considered brave and strong. The surname Dudy originally derived from the Old English word doughty or dohti which meant valiant, hardy, manly. 1

Most sources agree that this is the generally accepted origin of the name. However, one source claims the name to be Norman in origin as the Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae notes William de Oughtia, Normandy 1180, 1198. 2

Early Origins of the Dudy family

The surname Dudy was first found in Yorkshire where early spellings of the name varied greatly.

By example, the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 included: Johanna Doughti; Johannes Doughty, taylour; and Adam Doughty. In the East Riding of Yorkshire, the Poll Tax Rolls for Howdenshire included Robertus Dughty and Johannes Dughti. 3

While most of the records of the name come from Yorkshire, we must look to Bedfordshire for the first record. For it is here that William Douti held lands as listed in the Assize Rolls in 1247. Later, William Doughty was listed in Leicestershire in 1300 and John Dughti was listed as a Freeman of York in 1314. 4

Early History of the Dudy family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dudy research. Another 116 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1365, 1533, 1545, 1577, 1578, 1598, 1599, 1613, 1620, 1655, 1672 and 1792 are included under the topic Early Dudy History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dudy Spelling Variations

Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Dudy has undergone many spelling variations, including Doughty, Doughtie, Dowtie, Dowty and others.

Early Notables of the Dudy family

Notables of the family at this time include Thomas Doughty (1545-1578), an English nobleman, soldier, scholar and personal secretary of Christopher Hatton. His association with Francis Drake, on a 1577 voyage to interfere with Spanish treasure fleets, ended in a shipboard trial for treason and witchcraft and Doughty's execution. John Doughtie...
Another 50 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Dudy Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Dudy family

To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Dudy were among those contributors: Anne and Thomas Doughty who settled in Virginia in 1623; Francis Doughty settled in New England in 1630; Phillip Doughty arrived in Boston in 1774; another Anne Doughty settled in Virginia in 1736. Doughty's Falls were probably named after Thomas Doughty a settler from Berwick in 1657..

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)