Gudd History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland
Scotland

The name Gudd is an ancient Anglo-Saxon name that was given to a person who was a person who performed good deeds or acts of kindness. 1

Another source claims the name was noting a "descendant of Goda or Gode (good), which is also the first element in many names such as Godmund, Godric and Godwine. In these names it often refers to God; occasionally it refers to the good man." 2

And yet another source claims the name was originally Norman as the Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae lists Alyered and Ralph Godes of Normandy in 1198. 3

Early Origins of the Gudd family

The surname Gudd was first found in Kent, Sussex and Wiltshire, where the name God was found in the Domesday Book. 4 5

Other early records include Gilbert le Gode in the Curia Regis Rolls for Berkshire in 1212; Robert Gode in the Assize Rolls of Gloucester of 1221; and Thomas le Goude in the Subsidy Rolls for Sussex of 1327. 4

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included the family entries as both a forename and a surname: Goda Herrt, 1273; William filius Gode; Goda Poggel; Norman filius Gode; Goda de Castre. Interesting no county entries were provided with these. 6

Later the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 included: Hugo Gud; Cecilia Gud; Robertus Godde and Elena uxor ejus; and Willelmus Gude. 6

In Somerset, Richard le Gode was listed there 1 Edward III (during the first year of King Edward III's reign.) 7

Further to the north in Scotland, entries were quite late: "George Gude and Mariota Hommyll, his spouse, are mentioned in 1517. Thomas Gude, was bailie of Lowdoun, Ayr, 1533. John Gwid, mason, was builder of the tower of Pollok, 1536, and John Gud held a tenement in Glasgow, 1555." 8

Early History of the Gudd family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gudd research. Another 167 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1250, 1402, 1527, 1537, 1561, 1576, 1581, 1600, 1607, 1609, 1616, 1636, 1638, 1648, 1671, 1678, 1689, 1692 and 1893 are included under the topic Early Gudd History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gudd Spelling Variations

Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Gudd has undergone many spelling variations, including Good, Goode, Goad, Goade, Gudd, Gude, Legood and many more.

Early Notables of the Gudd family

Notables of this surname at this time include: James Good (c. 1527-1581), a London physician; Thomas Goad (1576-1638), an English clergyman, controversial writer, and rector of Hadleigh, Suffolk; George Goad (died 1671), Master of Eton College; Thomas Good (Goode), (1609-1678), an English academic and clergyman, and Master of Balliol College, Oxford; John Goad (1616-1689)...
Another 53 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Gudd Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Gudd family to Ireland

Some of the Gudd 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.

Gudd migration to the United States +

To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Gudd were among those contributors:

Gudd Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Nath Gudd, who arrived in Virginia in 1701 9

Gudd migration to Australia +

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

Gudd Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

W. Gudd, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "John Woodall" in 1849 10

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
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)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. 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)
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)
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) JOHN WOODALL 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849JohnWoodall.htm