Padbury - Name

Recorded in the spellings of Padbery, Padberry, Padbury, and Podbury, this is an English locational surname. It originates from the ancient village of Padbury in the county of Berkshire, which in the spelling of 'Pateberie' is first recorded in the famous Domesday Book of England in the year 1086. The original spelling would indicate that the prefix is the tribal name of pre 7th century origins 'Padda', the meaning of which is obscure. Nethertheless it appears in many places including Paddington in London, and Padiham in Lancashire. The suffix as 'berie' suggests a castle, or at least a fortified place, possibly one on a hill. The surname is much later and being locational is a 'from' name. That is to say a surname given to people after they left their original village and moved 'elsewhere'. It was an easy form of identification to call people by the name of the place from whence they came. Spelling being at best erratic, and local accents very thick, lead to the development of 'sounds like' spellings such as Podbury. Examples of the recordings include: Alice Padbery who married Thomas Passemore at St Margarets, Westminster, on February 13th 1629, and James Podbury, a witness at the famous church of St Dunstans in the East, Stepney, on July 29th 1683.