Goodfellow History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms 

Origins Available: 
  England 


The ancient history of the name Goodfellow dates back to the days of the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It was a name given to a good companion. A broad and miscellaneous class of surnames, nickname surnames referred to a characteristic of the first person who used the name. They can describe the bearer's favored style of clothing, appearance, habits, or character.

Early Origins of the Goodfellow family

The surname Goodfellow was first found in Essex where they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D.

Early History of the Goodfellow family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Goodfellow research. Another 96 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Goodfellow History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Goodfellow Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Goodfellow include Goodfellow, Goodfelow and others.

Early Notables of the Goodfellow family

Notables of the family at this time include

Goodfellow Ranking

In the United States, the name Goodfellow is the 12,835th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1


Goodfellow migration to the United States +

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Goodfellow or a variant listed above:

Goodfellow Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Goodfellow migration to Australia +

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

Goodfellow Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Goodfellow migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Goodfellow Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Contemporary Notables of the name Goodfellow (post 1700) +
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