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![Show Contents]() Gourty History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 Scotland Ireland
Gourty is an ancient Scottish name that was first used by the Strathclyde-Briton people of the Scottish/English Borderlands. It is a name for someone who lived in Edinburghshire, where the family was found since the early Middle Ages. Gourty is an ancient Scottish name that evolved from the Goldie, which derives from the Old English personal name Gold. Early Origins of the Gourty familyThe surname Gourty was first found in Edinburghshire, where the name appears from about 1598 onwards and later in the forms Gowdie, Gaudie, Goddie. "Robert Gowdie was a writer in Edinburgh, 1643 and John Gawdie was one of 'those who ere matriculat in the Companie of Merchands of Edinbergh,' 1687. William Goudie in Ayr, 1689. The surname was early carried to the north appearing in Shetland first in 1576 in the person of Gawane Gadie of Lougasettar, Dunrossness." 1 Early History of the Gourty familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gourty research. Another 126 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1567, 1576, 1643, 1689, 1783 and 1847 are included under the topic Early Gourty History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Gourty Spelling VariationsPrior to the first dictionaries, scribes spelled words according to sound. This, and the fact that Scottish names were repeatedly translated from Gaelic to English and back, contributed to the enormous number of spelling variations in Scottish names. Gourty has been spelled Goudie, Gouday, Goudey, Goudy, Gowdy, Gowdie, Gadie, Goodie, Gady and many more. Early Notables of the Gourty familyAnother 33 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Gourty Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.  Migration of the Gourty family to Ireland
Some of the Gourty family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 32 words (2 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 Gourty familyIn such difficult times, the difficulties of raising the money to cross the Atlantic to North America did not seem so large compared to the problems of keeping a family together in Scotland. It was a journey well worth the cost, since it was rewarded with land and freedom the Scots could not find at home. The American War of Independence solidified that freedom, and many of those settlers went on to play important parts in the forging of a great nation. Among them: Thomas Gowdy, who was on record at Long Cane in Abbeyville, South Carolina in 1756; James Gaddy, who came to Canada in 1791; Alexander Goudey who settled in New England in 1792.
The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.
Motto: Honestas
Motto Translation: Honesty.
- 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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