This surname has a number of interesting derivations. Firstly, it may be of early
medieval English origin, from a
Middle English given name "Cade", apparently deriving from a
Germanic root meaning "something lumpy or protruding", plus the second element "mann", man, but in this context usually meaning "servant of", hence "Cade's servant". Secondly, the name may be an
occupational name for a cooper, from the
Old French, Middle English "cade", a cask, barrel. Finally, the surname may have originated as a
nickname for an inoffensive, gentle person, from the Middle English "cade", a domestic animal, pet. The surname itself is first recorded in Cambridgeshire in the late 13th Century (see below), while Eustace Cade is recorded in the
Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1189. Geoffrey Cademan is mentioned in the
Subsidy Rolls of Derbyshire in 1327, while Thomas Cademain and Robertus Cadman are mentioned in the
Poll Tax Records of Yorkshire in 1379. Sir Thomas Cademan (1590 - 1651) was physician to Queen Henrietta Maria, and held patents for distilling strong waters and vinegar. A
Coat of Arms was granted to a Cadman family at Cowley in Derbyshire which depicts three
green columbine buds on a
gold shield, with a
Crest consisting of a stork's head royally crowned
proper. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Robert Cademan, which was dated 1279, in the "
Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire", during the reign of King Edward 1, known as "
The Hammer of the Scots", 1272 - 1307. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing
variants of the original spelling.