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Show ContentsGoad History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
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Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

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The name Goad comes from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It was a name for a person who performed good deeds or acts of kindness. 1

Another source claims the name was noting a "descendant of Goda or Gode (good), which is also the first element in many names such as Godmund, Godric and Godwine. In these names it often refers to God; occasionally it refers to the good man." 2

And yet another source claims the name was originally Norman as the Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae lists Alyered and Ralph Godes of Normandy in 1198. 3

Early Origins of the Goad family

The surname Goad was first found in Kent, Sussex and Wiltshire, where the name God was found in the Domesday Book. 4 5

Other early records include Gilbert le Gode in the Curia Regis Rolls for Berkshire in 1212; Robert Gode in the Assize Rolls of Gloucester of 1221; and Thomas le Goude in the Subsidy Rolls for Sussex of 1327. 4

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included the family entries as both a forename and a surname: Goda Herrt, 1273; William filius Gode; Goda Poggel; Norman filius Gode; Goda de Castre. Interesting no county entries were provided with these. 6

Later the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 included: Hugo Gud; Cecilia Gud; Robertus Godde and Elena uxor ejus; and Willelmus Gude. 6

In Somerset, Richard le Gode was listed there 1 Edward III (during the first year of King Edward III's reign.) 7

Further to the north in Scotland, entries were quite late: "George Gude and Mariota Hommyll, his spouse, are mentioned in 1517. Thomas Gude, was bailie of Lowdoun, Ayr, 1533. John Gwid, mason, was builder of the tower of Pollok, 1536, and John Gud held a tenement in Glasgow, 1555." 8

Early History of the Goad family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Goad research. Another 167 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1250, 1402, 1527, 1537, 1561, 1576, 1581, 1600, 1607, 1609, 1616, 1636, 1638, 1648, 1671, 1678, 1689, 1692 and 1893 are included under the topic Early Goad History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Goad Spelling Variations

Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Goad has undergone many spelling variations, including Good, Goode, Goad, Goade, Gudd, Gude, Legood and many more.

Early Notables of the Goad family

Notables of this surname at this time include:

  • Thomas Goad (1576-1638), an English clergyman, controversial writer, and rector of Hadleigh, Suffolk
  • George Goad (died 1671), Master of Eton College
  • John Goad (1616-1689), head-master of Merchant Taylors' School in London

Goad Ranking

In the United States, the name Goad is the 3,449th most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 9

Ireland Migration of the Goad family to Ireland

Some of the Goad family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

United States Goad migration to the United States +

To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Goad were among those contributors:

Goad Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • John Goad, aged 18, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship "Assurance" 10
  • Tho Goad, aged 15, who landed in New England in 1635 10
  • Thomas Goad, age 15, who arrived in Boston Massachusetts in 1635
  • William Goad, who arrived in Maryland in 1674 10
Goad Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Jean Geo Goad, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1751 10
  • Lawrence Goad, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1755 10
Goad Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Henry Goad, aged 28, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1845 10

Australia Goad migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Goad Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Henry Chalkley Goad, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Hooghly" in 1839 11
  • Mr. George Goad, English convict who was convicted in Kent, England for 15 years, transported aboard the "Duncan" on 10th December 1840, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 12
  • Thomas Goad, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Aboukir" in 1847 13
  • William James Goad, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Aboukir" in 1847 13

New Zealand Goad migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Goad Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mrs. Jane Goad, (b. 1839), aged 24, Cornish settler departing on 18th June 1863 aboard the ship "Accrington" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 5th September 1863 14
  • Mr. Joseph Goad, (b. 1840), aged 23, Cornish farm labourer departing on 18th June 1863 aboard the ship "Accrington" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 5th September 1863 14
  • Miss Mary Jane Goad, (b. 1860), aged 3, Cornish settler departing on 18th June 1863 aboard the ship "Accrington" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 5th September 1863 14

West Indies Goad migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 15
Goad Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century
  • Mr. John Goad, (b. 1613), aged 22, British settler travelling aboard the ship "Expedition" arriving in Barbados in 1636 16
  • Mr. William Goad, (b. 1614), aged 21, British settler travelling aboard the ship "Expedition" arriving in Barbados in 1636 16

Contemporary Notables of the name Goad (post 1700) +

  • Melissa Goad, American actress and model
  • Libe Goad, American technology and video game journalist
  • Tim Goad (b. 1966), former American football defensive tackle
  • Robin Elizabeth Goad (b. 1970), retired American female Olympic weightlifter
  • Jim Goad (b. 1961), American author and publisher
  • Sir Edward Colin Viner Goad, Secretary General, Inter-Governmental Maritime Consultive Organization
  • George Goad, American politician, Member of West Virginia State House of Delegates from Braxton County, 1889-93 17
  • G. M. Goad, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Virginia, 1952, 1960, 1964 17
  • Don Goad, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Oklahoma, 2000 17
  • Byrum P. Goad, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Virginia, 1928 17
  • ... (Another 18 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
  1. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  2. Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
  3. The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
  4. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  5. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  6. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  7. Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.
  8. Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
  9. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  10. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  11. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) HOOGHLY 1839. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1839Hooghly.htm
  12. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 11th August 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/duncan
  13. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) ABOUKIR 1847. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1847Aboukir.htm
  14. Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, April 30). Emigrants to Lyttelton 1858-84 [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/new_zealand_assisted.pdf
  15. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
  16. Pilgrim Ship Lists Early 1600's retrieved 29th September 2021. Retrieved from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
  17. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 14) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
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