Show ContentsGoldy History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The ancient Anglo-Saxon surname Goldy came from the son of Goldwin. In Old English, patronyms were formed by adding a variety of suffixes to personal names, which changed over time and from place to place. For example, after the Norman Conquest, sunu and sune, which meant son, were the most common patronymic suffixes. In the 12th and 13th centuries, the most common patronymic names included the word filius, which meant son. By the 14th century, the suffix son had replaced these earlier versions. Surnames that were formed with filius or son were more common in the north of England and it was here that the number of individuals without surnames was greatest at this time.

Early Origins of the Goldy family

The surname Goldy was first found in Oxfordshire where the first two records of the family appear in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273: Nicholas Goldin, Oxfordshire; and Thomas Goldine, Oxfordshire. The same rolls included Golding Palmarius, Kent; Hilde Golden, Cambridgeshire; and Hugo Golding, Suffolk. [1]

In Hampshire, Walter Guldene, le Gelden was listed in the Curia Regis Rolls for 1212 and later in Cambridgeshire, Hilde Golden was registered in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1279. [2]

Later the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed Willelmus Goldyng; Robertus Goldyng, pelliparius; and Isabella Goldyng, Howdenshire. [1]

Changes between the different suffixes were common as "the family of Golden, Broad Chalke, Wiltshire, are entered Golding in 1563; Goulden, 1707; and Golden, 1672." [1]

Up in Scotland one of the family achieved notoriety of a different sort: "The rashness of a Scots soldier, Ralph Golding, at the bridge of Rokesburgh in 1333 led to Sir Andrew Moray of Bothwell, the Regent, being taken prisoner by the English." [3]

Early History of the Goldy family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Goldy research. Another 68 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1559, 1688 and 1776 are included under the topic Early Goldy History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Goldy Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Goldy family name include Golden, Goldin, Goulden, Gouldin, Goulton and many more.

Early Notables of the Goldy family

Another 42 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Goldy Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ireland Migration of the Goldy family to Ireland

Some of the Goldy family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 64 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Goldy family

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, the Canadas, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Goldy surname or a spelling variation of the name include: George Golden settled in Virginia in 1652; Thomas Golden settled in New York in 1820; Hannah, Hugh, James, John, Michael, Patrick, Thomas and William Golden, arrived in Philadelphia between 1840 and 1860.


Contemporary Notables of the name Goldy (post 1700) +

  • Craig Goldy (b. 1961), rock guitarist
  • Goldy McJohn (1945-2017), born John Raymond Goadsby, Canadian keyboard player, best known as the original keyboardist for rock group Steppenwolf


  1. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  2. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  3. 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)


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