About the Piddockes
As far as I know the name Piddocke and the family history is very old and quite unique. Unlike many family names that are very common and difficult to trace, the name Piddocke and its few variants are quite rare yet well documented.
This site deals with information specifically to do with the family name Piddocke.
Piddocke is an English family name. However, what research to date has shown is that the name came from Normandy (now northern France) with the invasion of William the conquerer in 1066 (date of the Battle of Hastings and the change of royalty in England). Although this would indicate that the name is originally french, normandy and the ties to William were varied and Europeans were on the move so it is not certain of the exact origin of the name.
New etymological information available on the internet suggests that the name is a variant of Petercock.
If anyone has further information on the name predating 1066, please let me know.
Please see the links to the right for more specific information. Please check back often for updates.