The Biddle surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 9,219 people carried this name — #3,840 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 31,900 people counted. That is up 1% from 9,085 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Biddle surname

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a name of office: ‘the beadle’.

An early record he cites: Geoffrey le Bedel, Kent, 1273 — Hundred Rolls.

His entry covers Beadle, Beaddall, Beadell, Biddle, Beadel and Biddell.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 87 · public domain.

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Biddle was found among the farmers of Gloucestershire: 13 in every 10,000.

Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Gloucestershire 13

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In print

Biddle in American newspapers,
1908–1915.

Newspaper page from The Birmingham Age-herald carrying the name Biddle
The Birmingham Age-herald 1915-03-14
Newspaper page from Omaha Daily Bee carrying the name Biddle
Omaha Daily Bee 1915-03-14
Newspaper page from The San Antonio Light carrying the name Biddle
The San Antonio Light 1908-07-12

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain.

In print

Biddle in Australian newspapers,
1830s–1990s.

18,823 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Biddle. The most, 4,164, date from the 1940s.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 7,451
Queensland 4,006
Victoria 3,640
South Australia 1,830
Western Australia 1,054
Tasmania 676
ACT (Canberra) 101
Northern Territory 20

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Biddle.

Who carried it

People named Biddle,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Clement Biddle
    Clement Biddle 1740–1814 · military officer
  • Charles Biddle
    Charles Biddle 1745–1821 · politician
  • Nicholas Biddle
    Nicholas Biddle 1750–1778 · military personnel
  • Mary Biddle d. 1997
  • William Biddle 1634–1712 · cobbler
  • Sarah Smith 1634–1709

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Biddle,
in the records of 6 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States862 records

862 records of the Biddle name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 341
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 159
  • Other U.S. records 362
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Joseph Lenord Biddle

    Born 1946; from Berlin, New Jersey. U.S. Army, infantryman; killed in action 1969 in Hua Nghia, South Vietnam. Buried at Beverly National Cemetery, New Jersey.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Robert W. Biddle

    Born 1920 in Illinois. Enlisted 1941 at Chicago; farm hand. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1998, buried at Southern Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Cemetery, Union Grove, Wisconsin.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Charles Biddle

    Arrived at New York in 1885 aboard the City of Chicago from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 45; bricklayer. From Coventry, England; bound for Illinois.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 862 records for Biddle in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia460 records

460 records of the Biddle name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 162
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 88
  • Other Australian records 210
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Henry Biddle

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Clyde, sailing from Portsmouth in 1830. Native of Cockington, Devon. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1840. Married 1840 in Launceston, Tasmania, aged 26.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Mary Ann Biddle

    Born 1874 in Port Sorell, Tasmania. Married 1897 in Ulverstone, Tasmania, aged 22.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Charles Biddle

    Born 1845 in Longford, Tasmania. Died 1876 in Ulverstone, Tasmania, aged 32.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 460 records for Biddle in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Canada36 records

36 records of the Biddle name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 20
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 7
  • Other Canadian records 9
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Ada Ellen Biddle

    Died 1964 in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Emily Biddle

    Died 1954; buried at Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver, British Columbia.

    City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver.
  3. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record Frank Bolingbroke Biddle

    Died in service in 1919.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.

Showing 3 of 36 records for Biddle in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

United Kingdom23 records

23 records of the Biddle name in the United Kingdom
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 12
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 11
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Ann Biddle

    Buried in 1792 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 50.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record A. F. Biddle

    Corporal, Tank Corps. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Robert Biddle

    Buried in 1827 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 58.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Showing 3 of 23 records for Biddle in the United Kingdom.

Counts: MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

New Zealand12 records

12 records of the Biddle name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 6
  • Waimakariri District cemetery records, Canterbury 3
  • Other New Zealand records 3
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Llewellyn Frederick Biddle

    Died 1951, aged 81; buried at Omaka Cemetery, Marlborough.

    Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Zachariah Biddle

    Died 1892, aged 64; buried at Addington Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Mary Biddle

    Buried in 1947 at Shortland Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 66.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 12 records for Biddle in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Netherlands2 records

2 records of the Biddle name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch population registers 1
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 1
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record William Thomas Biddle

    Married in 1946 in Nijmegen; farm labourer.

    Open Archives, Gelders Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Anthony Josef Drevel Biddle

    In the population register of 's-Gravenhage; born 1897 in Philadelphia.

    Open Archives, Haags Gemeentearchief (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Biddle.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Biddle is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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