ladd

Ladd is a surname of English origin. It is generally thought to have originated from a medieval nickname for a young man, related to the word lad, and over time became a hereditary surname. The variant spelling with two ds is common in Anglophone countries and has spread through migration and settlement.

The best-known bearer of the surname is Alan Ladd (1913–1964), an American film actor whose career peaked in the 1940s and 1950s with roles in Westerns and crime dramas. Beyond this, individuals with the surname Ladd have appeared in various fields, reflecting the name’s broad distribution in English-speaking populations.

In modern usage, Ladd is primarily encountered as a surname, though it occasionally appears as a given name or is used in fictional contexts. Like many surnames derived from nicknames, it does not indicate a precise occupation or place, but rather represents a family name carried across generations.