Dodson surname meaning

Dodson is an English patronymic meaning “son of Dod(d)” or “son of Dud(d).” It combines Middle English Dodd(e) or Dudd(e)—from Old English personal names Dodd(a) or Dudd(a)—with the familiar -son ending. DAFN notes that an Old English compound personal name Dodesunu is hard to separate from the later Middle English patronymic, and that post-medieval Dodson can also simplify Dodgson. Dotson is a common American spelling variant. Parent’s name is high confidence for that son-of-Dodd formation; the surname does not require a separate vocabulary meaning beyond the ancestral given name.