Maddox
An English and Welsh surname usually taken from the Welsh personal name Madoc or Maddoc, meaning “fortunate” or “good.”
The #959 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 8,517 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Maddox is generally treated as a surname formed from the Welsh personal name Madoc or Maddoc, with the final -x reflecting an English spelling development. The Welsh name is commonly connected with a root meaning “good” or “fortunate,” though older writers sometimes gave broader or less certain explanations. In practice, the surname means “descendant of Madoc” or “son of Madoc.”
History
Early surname forms appear in medieval records in several spellings, including Maddock, Maddocks, Maddox, and Maddux. The name spread in England from Welsh personal-name use, and later became established in English-speaking countries more widely. Historical surname writers also noted that Maddox was sometimes used as a variant spelling of Maddocks.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Some 19th-century surname writers treated Maddox simply as a spelling variant of Maddocks, which is why both forms often appear side by side in older genealogical sources.
From the historical record
“MADDOCKS'l (A.-Celt.) Maddock's (Son) : MADDOX Jv. Maddook MADEWELL(Epg.) Dweller at the Meadow- Well [O.E. mddd, meadow + im»lle\ MADGE, V. Mafegs ' MAPIN = Madden, q.v. MADLEY (Eng.) Bel. to Madley or Madeley = the Meadow-Field [O.E. m(hd + ledh]”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)