Madden - Irish Surname Origin & Meaning
Irish form: Ó Madáin
Meaning: “little hound”
Traditional stronghold: Galway
Pronunciation: MAD-en; Irish Ó Madáin: oh MOD-awn
History of the Madden name
Madden, Ó Madáin (earlier Ó Madaidhín), derives from madadh, 'hound'. The sept was a leading branch of the Uí Maine, ruling the territory of Síl nAnmchadha in the southeastern corner of County Galway around Portumna, their lordship reaching across the Shannon to include Lusmagh in County Offaly. Unusually, they held on to a portion of their lands through the upheavals of the seventeenth century, and Maddens remained gentry in east Galway into modern times. The name is still most numerous in Galway and the adjoining midland counties, and spread widely with emigration to Britain, America and Australia.
Variants: O'Madden · Maddin
Famous bearers of the name
- Richard Robert Madden - Historian of the United Irishmen and a committed anti-slavery campaigner.
- Samuel Madden - Eighteenth-century writer and philanthropist known as 'Premium' Madden for the prizes he endowed.
- Anne Madden - Painter of international standing, long based between Ireland and France.
Related names from the same part of Ireland: Kelly · Lynch · Connolly · Burke · Clarke · Hughes · Keane · Kenny