Godoy History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
France

The rich and ancient history of the Godoy family name dates back to the time when France was immersed in the Dark Ages. This name from the Normandy region of France is derived from the Norman-French given name Gaudi, which means ruler.

Early Origins of the Godoy family

The surname Godoy was first found in Normandy (French: Normandie), the former Duchy of Normandy, where this celebrated family has held a family seat since ancient times.

One of the earliest records of the family concerns Margue Gaudette who is recorded in 1340. Descending from the original line of Soulange, the family expanded, branched and prospered. This ancient family was known in Normandy, Picardy and Champagne as the Godart's, in Bourgogne as the Godard's and popular spellings of Lyonnais, Berry and Bourbonnais were Gaudart and Gaudard. Playing an important role in their community, the Gaudard family were the Lords of Solier, of la Greslerie, of Laverdine and of Genetais and served as the local Judges for the burgs in 1474. Proving their capability in politics, one of the Gaudard's served as the Mayor of Bourges in 1557 and in 1697 a member of the family served as the Treasurer of France for Berry.

The family were fervent in pursuit of their faith and as such a member of the family became the Archdeacon of Bourbon in 1698 and he held his doctorate in Theology. Many members of the family served as representatives of the business community in Paris. Claude was a businessman of Paris in 1699 and his son, Louis-François, was an architect and a businessman in that same city. François-Pierre, his son, was a buying agent for the famous East India Company in the 1700's. Maurice, a descendant of François-Pierre, was a Knight of Saint Lazaire, a delegate general holding the Order of the Indes, a member of the Association of the French India Company and a Vice-President of the Red Cross for the French India Company.

Early History of the Godoy family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Godoy research. The years 1647, 1700 and 1709 are included under the topic Early Godoy History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Godoy Spelling Variations

The many different spellings of French surnames can be partially explained by the use of local dialects and by the influence of other languages during the early development of the French language. As a result of these linguistic and cultural influences, the name Godoy is distinguished by a number of regional variations. The many spelling variations of the name include Gaudet, Gaudette, Gaudait, Gaudais, Gaudey, Godet, Godette, Godait, Godais, Goder, Godee, Goday, Goddet, Goddette, Gauddet and many more.

Early Notables of the Godoy family

Another 30 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Godoy Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Godoy Ranking

In the United States, the name Godoy is the 5,745^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 1 However, in South America, the name Godoy is ranked the 78^th most popular surname with an estimated 59 people with that name. 2

Godoy migration to the United States +

Approximately 110 years after the first landings by Cartier, there were only about 300 people in Quebec. France gave land incentives for 2,000 migrants during the next decade. Early marriage was desperately encouraged amongst the immigrants. The fur trade attracted migrants, both noble and commoner. 15,000 explorers left Montreal in the late 17th and 18th centuries. By 1675, there were 7000 French in Quebec. Migration to New France (Quebec) continued from France until it fell in 1759. In the year 1675 the Acadian presence in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island had reached 500. In 1755, 10,000 French Acadians refused to take an oath of allegiance to England and were deported to Louisiana. The French founded Lower Canada, thus becoming one of the two great founding nations of Canada. The distinguished family name Godoy has made significant contributions to the culture, arts, sciences and religion of France and New France. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Godoy were

Godoy Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Francisco Do Godoy, who arrived in America in 1810 3
Diego De Godoy, who arrived in America in 1812 3
Alonso De Godoy, who landed in America in 1816 3
Francisco De Godoy, who landed in America in 1828 3
Garcia De Godoy, who landed in Florida in 1838 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Godoy (post 1700) +

Robert Godoy, American Republican politician, Candidate for Florida State House of Representatives 117th District, 1978 4
Atanasio Echeverría y Godoy, 18th century Mexican botanical artist and naturalist
Joaquin Floriano de Godoy (1826-1907), Brazilian doctor and politician
José Carlos Godoy (b. 1911), Peruvian Olympic basketball player
Mónica Alejandra Godoy (b. 1976), Chilean actress
Juan Esteban Godoy (b. 1982), Paraguayan footballer
Carlos Rivas Godoy (b. 1985), Canadian soccer player
Michael Godoy (b. 1983), Paraguayan footballer
Armando Robles Godoy (1923-2010), Peruvian film director
Luis Godoy (b. 1978), Chilean footballer
... (Another 8 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"List of most common surnames in South America." Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_most_common_surnames_in_South_America
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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 19) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html