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Goodridge History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Goodridge History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

The history of the Goodridge family goes back to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It is derived from the family living in the region of Goodrich or Gotheridge in the county of Hereford. The surname Goodridge may also derive from the patronymic name the son of Godrich which was composed of the elements God which referred to someone good and Ric which meant power. The surname may also have derived from the Old English cud, meaning "famous," with the aforementioned "ric." 1

In ancient times, the name was also a personal name as in Godric, the abbot of Winchcombe and Godric, the sheriff of Berkshire. Both were listed as freemen shortly after the Norman Conquest. 2

Godric (1065?-1170), the founder of Finchale, "was born ‘in villula Hanapol,’ or, according to another account, at Walpole in Norfolk. His father's name was Ailward, his mother's Ædwin; and Godric, their first-born son, was called after his godfather. After a boyhood spent at home, Godric began to peddle small wares in the neighbouring shires. Later, as his gains increased, he took to frequenting castles and the town and city markets. A narrow escape from drowning while he was attempting to capture a stranded ‘dolphin’ or porpoise near the mouth of the Welland (c. 1082) seems to have given a serious turn to his thoughts." 3

Early Origins of the Goodridge family

The surname Goodridge was first found in various locations throughout ancient Britain. The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list: Walter Goderiche in Bedfordshire; William Godriche in Oxfordshire; Stephen Godrich in Suffolk; and Ambrosius filius Godrige in Cambridgeshire. 4

Other early record include Gaufridus filius Godrici who was listed in the Curia Regis Rolls for Berkshire in 1207; Ralph Godric' who was listed in the Pipe Rolls for Worcestershire in 1199; Hugo Godriche in Suffolk in 1221; John Godryk listed in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1313; James Goodrich in Colchester in 1341; William Godright in 1363; Albreda Goderik in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379; and Simon Goderich in 1388. 5

Further to the north in Scotland, "Dougal fiz Gothrik of the county of Dunfres who rendered homage in 1296 is probably Dougal Gotherykessone of the county of Wyggetone, and Dugall, son of Gotrich, juror on an inquest at Berwick in the same year." 2

Benjamin Franklin Goodrich (1841-1888), the American industrialist in the rubber industry and founder of B.F. Goodrich Company claimed descent from Ensign William Goodrich (1621-1676), from Bury Saint Edmunds, Suffolk who emigrated to America. The family had along history at Bury Saint Edmunds.

Early History of the Goodridge family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Goodridge research. Another 146 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1199, 1221, 1279, 1341, 1554, 1562, 1621, 1642, 1659, 1666, 1673, 1682 and 1705 are included under the topic Early Goodridge History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Goodridge Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Goodridge include Goodrich, Gooderidge, Goodrick, Goodricke, Goodridge, Goderich, Godriche, Godric, Godrige, Goderidge, Goodreed, Goodreid, Gutteridge, Guteridge, Guttridge, Gutridge and many more.

Early Notables of the Goodridge family

Notables of the family at this time include Sir Henry Goodrich of Ribstone Hall, Envoy Extraordinary to the King of Spain in 1682; Francis Goodricke (1621-1673), an English lawyer and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1659 and 1673; and Rev. Charles Goodrich, the rector of Bittering Parva, county Norfolk.Sir Henry Goodricke (1642-1705), was an English diplomatist, eldest son of Sir John Goodricke (created Baronet by...
Another 69 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Goodridge Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Goodridge Ranking

In the United States, the name Goodridge is the 12,834^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 6

Goodridge migration to the United States +

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Goodridge or a variant listed above:

Goodridge Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Joe Goodridge, who settled in Virginia in 1635

Goodridge migration to Australia +

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

Goodridge Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

John Goodridge, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "John Woodall" in 1849 7
Henry Goodridge, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "John Woodall" in 1849 7
J. Goodridge, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Senator" in 1849 8
George Goodridge, aged 38, a carpenter, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Hooghly" 9
James Goodridge, aged 15, a carpenter, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Hooghly" 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Goodridge (post 1700) +

Francea "Francie" Norma Kraker Goodridge, American former women's track and field athlete and coach, inducted into the University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor
Vernon Goodridge (b. 1984), American professional basketball player
Sarah Goodridge (1788-1853), American miniaturist painter
Elizabeth "Eliza" Goodridge (1798-1882), American miniaturist painter, younger sister of Sarah Goodridge
Anne Goodridge, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Maine, 1996 10
Henry Edmund Goodridge (1797-1864), English architect based in Bath
Jon Goodridge (b. 1981), English professional rugby union player who has played since 2011
Robin James Goodridge (b. 1966), English musician, best known as the drummer of the rock band Bush
Henry Goodridge (1849-1914), Canadian politician, Alderman on the Edmonton Town Council (1899-1901)
James Goodridge (1852-1900), Canadian politician, Alderman on the Edmonton Town Council (1892-1894)
... (Another 4 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Goodridge family +

HMS Prince of Wales

Mr. R I Goodridge, British Leading Airman, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and survived the sinking 11

Citations +

Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
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)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) JOHN WOODALL 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849JohnWoodall.htm
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The SENATOR 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Senator.htm
South Australian Register Wednesday 21st February 1855. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Rodney 1855. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/rodney1855.shtml
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 21) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html