Show ContentsGoreing History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Goreing is one of the thousands of new names that the Norman Conquest brought to England in 1066. The Goreing family lived in the places named Goring in Oxfordshire and Sussex. The place-name was originally derived from the Old English word Garingas, which means people of Gara. This name is a short form of various compound names with the first portion gar, which means spear.

Early Origins of the Goreing family

The surname Goreing was first found in Sussex at Goring, where at the time of the Domesday Book was part of the earldom of Arundel. 1 "The name is derived from Goring, in the rape [sub-division] of Arundel, where the family can be traced to John de Goring, living in the reign of Edward II. " 2

So as to underscore the Sussex origin, another authority notes the name is from "a parish in Sussex where the ancestors of the baronet's family wore resident at an early period. John de Goring was lord before temp. Edward II." 3

And another source wrote "Hugh Bygod was Lord of Garringes or Goring, Sussex, 13th cent. He was executor of the will of the Countess of Norfolk, 1248. John de Garringes, his son, had a daughter and heir, who married Henry Tregoz, M.P. for Sussex 1309. The bailsman of Henry T. was John Goring, probably nephew of John de Goring or Garringes. From the latter descended the family of De Goring, afterwards Lords Goring, Earls of Norwich, so distinguished in the Civil Wars 17th century, and the Baronets Goring. This family appears to be a younger branch of the Bygods Earls of Norfolk." 4

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included: Priorissa de Goringe Oxfordshire; and Philip Goring, Wiltshire. 5

"The Oxfordshire Goring occurs as Goringe in the 13th cent." 6

Early History of the Goreing family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Goreing research. Another 187 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1585, 1608, 1615, 1621, 1622, 1628, 1629, 1632, 1646, 1657, 1658, 1660, 1661, 1663, 1671, 1673, 1678, 1679, 1685, 1702 and 1750 are included under the topic Early Goreing History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Goreing Spelling Variations

Multitudes of spelling variations are a hallmark of Anglo Norman names. Most of these names evolved in the 11th and 12th century, in the time after the Normans introduced their own Norman French language into a country where Old and Middle English had no spelling rules and the languages of the court were French and Latin. To make matters worse, medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, so names frequently appeared differently in the various documents in which they were recorded. The name was spelled Goring, Gorring, Goringe, Gorringe, Goreing and many more.

Early Notables of the Goreing family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was George Goring, 1st Earl of Norwich (1585-1663), an English soldier and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1621 and 1628; Charles Goring, 2nd Earl of Norwich (1615-1671), an English soldier and aristocrat; George Goring, Lord Goring (1608-1657), an English Royalist soldier; Sir William Goring (died 1658), the son of Sir...
Another 61 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Goreing Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Goreing migration to the United States +

Because of this political and religious unrest within English society, many people decided to immigrate to the colonies. Families left for Ireland, North America, and Australia in enormous numbers, traveling at high cost in extremely inhospitable conditions. The New World in particular was a desirable destination, but the long voyage caused many to arrive sick and starving. Those who made it, though, were welcomed by opportunities far greater than they had known at home in England. Many of these families went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Goreing or a variant listed above:

Goreing Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Peter Goreing, who landed in Virginia in 1723 7
  • John Mary Goreing, who arrived in Virginia in 1723 7


  1. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  2. Shirley, Evelyn Philip, The Noble and Gentle Men of England; The Arms and Descents. Westminster: John Bower Nichols and Sons, 1866, Print.
  3. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  4. 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)
  5. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  6. Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
  7. 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)


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