This is a Scottish locational name. It originates from an area known as the lands of Wedale, the original name of the parish of Stow in the county of Midlothian. The earliest name holder as shown below was an outlaw who apparently operated in (quote) 'the lands of the king of Scots', although his final fate is not known. There are a number of modern spellings of the surname and these include Waddel, Waddell, Waddle, Weddel, Weedall, Weddell, Wedle and Woddell, whilst shown amongst the earliest of the recordings is Stephen de Wedale, a charter witness to the hospital of Soltre in 1221, Thomas de Wedale, recorded as being the canon of St. Andrews in 1280, whilst Sir Thomas de Weedale was granted freedom of passage to England in the year 1370. Later examples of the recordings include those of Mungo Woddell, who was elected a burgess or freeman of the city of Glasgow in 1613, and Alexander Weddell who held the same position in Edinburgh in 1725. A family of Waddle were brewers at the town of Lift for nearly two hundred years. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Adam de Wedale. This was dated 1204, in Bains Records of Scottish documents, during the reign of King William, known as the Lyon of Scotland, 1165 - 1214. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was sometimes known as the Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.