The word Caddie derives from the French word ‘le cadet’, meaning ‘the boy’ or the youngest of the family. The word ‘cadet’ appears in English from 1610 and the word ‘caddie’ or ‘cadie’ appears shortly after that in 1634. Adopting French terms was not unusual for the Scots. For example they adopted the term “Gardez-vous!” as ‘gardyloo’.
This appears to be the origin of the speculative theory, promoted by some, that French military 'cadets' carried the clubs for the golfing royalty in France and this practice came to Scotland when Queen Mary Stuart returned in 1561. Of course the military term 'cadet' has the same origin, as these 'cadets' were often the younger sons of the aristocracy.
A Cady, Caddy, Cadie or Caddie became used for a general-purpose porter or errand boy in Scottish towns in the18th Century, particularly used for delivering water in the days before modern utilities. The Shorter Oxford Dictionary records this use from 1730. Caddies are often mentioned carrying golf clubs, but it was not until 1857 that the Dictionary ascribes the use mainly to those carrying golf clubs. In the early days there were no bags and the clubs were carried in bundle, which can be clearly seen in paintings of the time.
The first named caddie was Andrew Dickson, who would become an Edinburgh clubmaker, who caddied for the Duke of York as a boy in 1681 in the Duke's golf match on Leith Links.
