Caradoc

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A traditional Welsh masculine first name, borne by several figures from early British history and legend
2. A male given name of Welsh origin, associated with notable ancient Britons in chronicles and folklore
3. A Welsh personal name carried by various historical and legendary British men from the early medieval period

Etymology: Caradoc is an English spelling of the Welsh name Caradog, a personal name that has been in use in Wales for centuries. The name is traditionally linked with Caratacus, the British chieftain who resisted the Roman invasion in the first century AD, and it appears in medieval Welsh tradition through figures such as Caradog ap Gruffydd, a twelfth-century prince of Gwynedd. The name is a doublet of several surnames and given names that look quite different on the page. Cedric, Craddock, Cradock, McCarthy and McCarty all descend from the same Welsh root, so a family called Craddock in England and a family called McCarthy in Ireland can share a common ancestral name. Each one reached English by a different route, with the spelling shifting along the way.