Show ContentsGoodere History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

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  • England
Goodere Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Etymology of Goodere

What does the name Goodere mean?

The ancestors of the Goodere family migrated to England following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The surname Goodere is based on the given names Gudhir, or Gudvar, which were popular medieval names of Germanic origin. 1

Another source notes that the name could have originated from the Middle English goodyeare, goodier, goodere, goodye(e)re meaning 'good year', as in "an expletive used in questions, 'What the good year?' Possibly elliptic for 'as I hope to have a good year' " 2

The Domesday Book of 1086 has the first record of the family as Godere and Goderus (Latin). 3

Early Origins of the Goodere family

The surname Goodere was first found in Huntingdonshire, where the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list Cest' Godyer. 4

"Goodyear, which is now a Lincolnshire name, was represented 600 years ago by Godyer in the adjacent county of Huntingdonshire." 5

John Godeyer, was listed in the Close Rolls, 10 Richard II (during the tenth year of Richard II's reign.)

The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed Willelmus Goddeyere; Simon Godeycre, smyth; and Willelmus Godcyere as all holding lands there at that time. 4

Charles Goodyear (1800-1860) the American inventor and patent holder of vulcanized rubber was born in New Haven, Connecticut. His father was a descendant of Stephen Goodyear (c. 1598-1658) born in London, who emigrated to New England during the Puritan Great Migration.

Early History of the Goodere family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Goodere research. Another 223 words (16 lines of text) covering the years 1285, 1295, 1296, 1301, 1327, 1456, 1467, 1500, 1513, 1566, 1592, 1600, 1613, 1626, 1627, 1636, 1664, 1682, 1687, 1705, 1708, 1718, 1719 and 1741 are included under the topic Early Goodere History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Goodere Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, Norman French and other languages became incorporated into English throughout the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Goodere include Goodyear, Goodier and others.

Early Notables of the Goodere family

  • Samuel Goodere (1687-1741), was an English captain in the navy, the third and youngest son of Sir Edward Goodere, bart., of Burhope in Herefordshire, by his wife, daughter and heiress of Sir Edward Di...

Migration of the Goodere family

In England at this time, the uncertainty of the political and religious environment of the time caused many families to board ships for distant British colonies in the hopes of finding land and opportunity, and escaping persecution. The voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, though, and many arrived in North America sick, starved, and destitute. Those who did make it, however, were greeted with greater opportunities and freedoms that they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Early immigration records have shown some of the first Gooderes to arrive on North American shores: Stephen Goodyear, a London merchant, who landed in New Haven in 1638. In 1641 he was appointed Deputy Governor of Connecticut. A. and W.B. Goodyear settled in San Francisco Cal. in 1850 and 1852 respectively.
  1. Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
  2. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  3. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  4. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  5. Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.

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