Guthridge History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

The ancestors of the name Guthridge date back to the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name is derived from when the Guthridge family lived in the region of Goodrich or Gotheridge in the county of Hereford. The surname Guthridge may also derive from the patronymic name the son of Godrich which was composed of the elements God which referred to someone good and Ric which meant power. The surname may also have derived from the Old English cud, meaning "famous," with the aforementioned "ric." 1

In ancient times, the name was also a personal name as in Godric, the abbot of Winchcombe and Godric, the sheriff of Berkshire. Both were listed as freemen shortly after the Norman Conquest. 2

Godric (1065?-1170), the founder of Finchale, "was born ‘in villula Hanapol,’ or, according to another account, at Walpole in Norfolk. His father's name was Ailward, his mother's Ædwin; and Godric, their first-born son, was called after his godfather. After a boyhood spent at home, Godric began to peddle small wares in the neighbouring shires. Later, as his gains increased, he took to frequenting castles and the town and city markets. A narrow escape from drowning while he was attempting to capture a stranded ‘dolphin’ or porpoise near the mouth of the Welland (c. 1082) seems to have given a serious turn to his thoughts." 3

Early Origins of the Guthridge family

The surname Guthridge was first found in various locations throughout ancient Britain. The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list: Walter Goderiche in Bedfordshire; William Godriche in Oxfordshire; Stephen Godrich in Suffolk; and Ambrosius filius Godrige in Cambridgeshire. 4

Other early record include Gaufridus filius Godrici who was listed in the Curia Regis Rolls for Berkshire in 1207; Ralph Godric' who was listed in the Pipe Rolls for Worcestershire in 1199; Hugo Godriche in Suffolk in 1221; John Godryk listed in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1313; James Goodrich in Colchester in 1341; William Godright in 1363; Albreda Goderik in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379; and Simon Goderich in 1388. 5

Further to the north in Scotland, "Dougal fiz Gothrik of the county of Dunfres who rendered homage in 1296 is probably Dougal Gotherykessone of the county of Wyggetone, and Dugall, son of Gotrich, juror on an inquest at Berwick in the same year." 2

Benjamin Franklin Goodrich (1841-1888), the American industrialist in the rubber industry and founder of B.F. Goodrich Company claimed descent from Ensign William Goodrich (1621-1676), from Bury Saint Edmunds, Suffolk who emigrated to America. The family had along history at Bury Saint Edmunds.

Early History of the Guthridge family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Guthridge research. Another 146 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1199, 1221, 1279, 1341, 1554, 1562, 1621, 1642, 1659, 1666, 1673, 1682 and 1705 are included under the topic Early Guthridge History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Guthridge Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, early Anglo-Saxon surnames like Guthridge are characterized by many spelling variations. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages, even literate people changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Guthridge include: Goodrich, Gooderidge, Goodrick, Goodricke, Goodridge, Goderich, Godriche, Godric, Godrige, Goderidge, Goodreed, Goodreid, Gutteridge, Guteridge, Guttridge, Gutridge and many more.

Early Notables of the Guthridge family

Notables of the family at this time include Sir Henry Goodrich of Ribstone Hall, Envoy Extraordinary to the King of Spain in 1682; Francis Goodricke (1621-1673), an English lawyer and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1659 and 1673; and Rev. Charles Goodrich, the rector of Bittering Parva, county Norfolk.Sir Henry Goodricke (1642-1705), was an English diplomatist, eldest son of Sir John Goodricke (created Baronet by...
Another 69 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Guthridge Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Guthridge Ranking

In the United States, the name Guthridge is the 16,518^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 6

Guthridge migration to the United States +

Many English families tired of political and religious strife left Britain for the new colonies in North America. Although the trip itself offered no relief - conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and many travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute - these immigrants believed the opportunities that awaited them were worth the risks. Once in the colonies, many of the families did indeed prosper and, in turn, made significant contributions to the culture and economies of the growing colonies. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families has revealed a number of immigrants bearing the name Guthridge or a variant listed above:

Guthridge Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

David Guthridge, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1844 7

Guthridge Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Dudley H. Guthridge, aged 28, arrived in New York in 1920 aboard the ship "Philadelphia" from Southampton, England 8
Eva Guthridge, aged 30, arrived in New York, New York in 1920 aboard the ship "La Savoie" from Le Havre, France 8
Catherine Guthridge, aged 43, arrived in New York in 1921 aboard the ship "Fort Victoria" from Hamilton, Bermuda 8

Contemporary Notables of the name Guthridge (post 1700) +

George Guthridge (b. 1948), American author and educator who has published over 70 short stories and five novels, co-awarded the Bram Stoker Award for the Year's Best Horror Novel in 1997
William Wallace "Bill" Guthridge (1937-2015), retired American college basketball coach
Esther Guthridge, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Indiana, 1956 9
Edward Guthridge, American politician, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas, 1879-83 9
Richard Charles Guthridge (1837-1934), English-born, Australian settler and merchant seaman recognized in 1998 by the Premier of Victoria as one of the earliest and most significant pioneers of the State
Nehemiah Guthridge (1808-1878), Irish-born, Australian ironmonger, a city councillor in Melbourne

Citations +

Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. 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)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
Ellis Island Search retrieved 15th November 2022. Retrieved from https://heritage.statueofliberty.org/passenger-result
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, February 1) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html