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Godard History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Godard History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France

The rich and ancient history of the Godard 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 Godard family

The surname Godard 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 Godard family

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

Godard Spelling Variations

History has changed the spelling of most surnames. During the early development of the French language in the Middle Ages, a person gave his version of his name, phonetically, to a scribe, a priest, or a recorder. Some variables were adopted by different branches of the family name. Hence, there spelling variations of the name Godard, some of which include Gaudet, Gaudette, Gaudait, Gaudais, Gaudey, Godet, Godette, Godait, Godais, Goder, Godee, Goday, Goddet, Goddette, Gauddet and many more.

Early Notables of the Godard family

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

Godard Ranking

In France, the name Godard is the 303^rd most popular surname with an estimated 13,225 people with that name. 1

Godard migration to the United States +

By 1643 there were only about 300 people in Quebec. Since immigration was slow, 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. By the same year 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 Godard 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 Godard were

Godard Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Rich Godard, who arrived in Virginia in 1665 2
William Godard, who arrived in Watertown, Massachusetts in 1665 2
Sarah Godard, who landed in Virginia in 1666 2
Joseph Godard, who arrived in Maryland in 1669 2

Godard Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

John Godard, who arrived in Virginia in 1700 2
Math Godard, who landed in Virginia in 1704 2
Mary Godard, who arrived in Virginia in 1719 2

Godard Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Rene Godard, who landed in Charleston, South Carolina in 1804 2

Godard migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Godard Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century

Etienne Godard, son of François and Louise, who married Marie-Madeleine De La Voye, daughter of René and Anne, in Sainte-Anne, Quebec on 6th October 1687 3

Godard Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Noel Godard, son of Etienne and Marie-Madeleine, who married Catherine Mineau, daughter of René and Marie-Anne, in Yamaska, Quebec on 14th January 1732 3
Antoine Godard, son of Etienne and Marie-Madeleine, who married Madeleine Dubois, daughter of Pierre and Marie-Anne, in Saint-Nicolas, Quebec on 26th November 1733 3
Francois Godard, who landed in Canada in 1738
Pierre Godard, son of Etienne and Marie-Madeleine, who married Madeleine Morand, daughter of Jean-Baptiste and Élisabeth, in Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pérade, Quebec on 3rd November 1740 3
François Godard, son of François and Gabrielle, who married Marie Blay, daughter of Jacques and Louise-Angélique, in Yamachine, Quebec on 25th February 1743 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Godard (post 1700) +

Ronald D. Godard (b. 1942), American politician, U.S. Ambassador to Guyana, 2000 4
Oliver C. Godard, American Democratic Party politician, First Selectman of Granby, Connecticut, 1911; Candidate for Connecticut State House of Representatives from Granby, 1912 4
L. D. Godard, American politician, Candidate for Mayor of Texas City, Texas, 1950 4
Harvey E. Godard, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Connecticut State House of Representatives from Granby, 1920 4
Harlow Godard, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from St. Lawrence County 1st District, 1849-50, 1858-59 4
H. B. Godard, American politician, Member of California State Assembly 7th District, 1854-55 4
Ensworth M. Godard, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Connecticut State House of Representatives from Canton, 1930 4
Charles W. Godard, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from New York, 1868 4
Aretas A. Godard, American Republican politician, Kansas State Attorney General, 1899-1903 4
Abel Godard, American politician, Member of New York State Senate 17th District, 1866-67; Member of New York State Assembly from St. Lawrence County 1st District, 1882-83 4
... (Another 3 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
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)
Internoscia, Arthur E., and Claire Chevrier. Dictionnaire National des Canadiens Français 1608-1760. Vol. 1, Institut Drouin, 1958.
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 23) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html