Goodsell History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The name Goodsell is part of the ancient legacy of the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. Goodsell was a name used for a person who was "gode," meaning "good," along with "saule, or soule," meaning "soul" in other words "an honest fellow." 1

Alternatively, the name could have been a local name from "Gadshill (Kent), Godshill (Isle of Wight), Godshill (Hants) or Godsell Fm (Wiltshire), all originally Godeshyll ‘god’s hill’" 1

Another source postulates the name is "perhaps from Godshill, in the Isle of Wight or the same as Godesilus, the name of an early Burgundian King." 2 Pursuing the Godesilus connection, one source notes that "Godescalus, [was] a mesne lord in Wiltshire in 1086." This latter source is obviously eluding to an entry appearing in the Domesday Book. 3 4

Early Origins of the Goodsell family

The surname Goodsell was first found in Norfolk where William God saule was listed in the Feet of Fines for 1197. Ralph Godsouls was found in the Assize Rolls for Yorkshire in 1219 and later, Hugh de Godeshill was listed in the Assize Rolls for Somerset in 1225. The Pipe Rolls for Hampshire list Hugh de Godeshull in 1230 and later again, we found Thomas de Godeshell in Devon in 1309. The Subsidy Rolls for Sussex list Richard Godeshull in 1327. 1 Ralph Godsale, taillour was found in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379. 5

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 point to the widespread use of the name with a variety of spellings: Amice and Cecilla Godsol in Cambridgeshire; Augustin Godsouele in Huntingdonshire; and Radulphus Godsale in Norfolk. 5

"Godsell, a name now rare in the county, but represented by the Godsalls and Godsells of the neighbourhood of the city of Hereford, was an established name in Kingswood (co. Gloucester) during the 17th and 18th centuries, where a family of clothiers thus called resided." 6

Early History of the Goodsell family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Goodsell research. Another 105 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1505, 1542, 1546, 1556 and 1568 are included under the topic Early Goodsell History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Goodsell Spelling Variations

Until the dictionary, an invention of only the last few hundred years, the English language lacked any comprehensive system of spelling rules. Consequently, spelling variations in names are frequently found in early Anglo-Saxon and later Anglo-Norman documents. One person's name was often spelled several different ways over a lifetime. The recorded variations of Goodsell include Godsell, Godsall, Goldsalde, Godseel, Godsel, Godsalve and many more.

Early Notables of the Goodsell family

Notables of the family at this time include Sir John Godsalve (b. circa 1505- d. 1556), Clerk of the Signet, and Comptroller of the Mint, was the son and heir of Thomas Godsalve (d. 1542), registrar of the consistory court at Norwich and an owner of landed property in Norfolk.Edward...
Another 50 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Goodsell Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Goodsell Ranking

In the United States, the name Goodsell is the 9,331^st most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 7

Migration of the Goodsell family to Ireland

Some of the Goodsell 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.

Migration of the Goodsell family

Thousands of English families boarded ships sailing to the New World in the hope of escaping the unrest found in England at this time. Although the search for opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad took the lives of many because of the cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels, the opportunity perceived in the growing colonies of North America beckoned. Many of the settlers who survived the journey went on to make important contributions to the transplanted cultures of their adopted countries. The Goodsell were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records: Michael Godsil settled in Harbour Grace, Newfoundland, in 1816; William Godsell settled in Tilting in 1818; Thomas Godsell settled in Harbour Grace from County Cork in 1831.

Contemporary Notables of the name Goodsell (post 1700) +

Charles Goodsell, American philanthropist, eponym of Goodsell Observatory, Northfield, Minnesota
Jonas Platt Goodsell (1819-1869), American civil engineer, New York State Engineer and Surveyor (1866 to 1867)
Charles T. Goodsell, Professor Emeritus at Virginia Tech 's Center for Public Administration and Policy
Richard Goodsell, American founder of Goodsell Amplifiers, Atlanta
Louis F. Goodsell, American Republican politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Orange County 1st District, 1895-98; Member of New York State Senate 23rd District, 1899-1906 8
John W. Goodsell, American Republican politician, Member of Connecticut State House of Representatives from Woodbury; Elected 1926 8
James F. Goodsell, American politician, Member of South Dakota State Senate, 1907-10 8
Frederick E. Goodsell, American Democratic Party politician, Postmaster at Evansville, Indiana, 1838-41 8
Epaphras B. Goodsell, American politician, Mayor of Bridgeport, Connecticut, 1871-74 8
David Goodsell, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Justice of New York Supreme Court 10th District, 2009 8
... (Another 6 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
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)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 21) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html