Goodfallow History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• England

Etymology of Goodfallow

The history of the name Goodfallow goes back those Anglo-Saxon tribes that once ruled over Britain. Such a name was 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 Goodfallow family

Early History of the Goodfallow family

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

Goodfallow Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Goodfallow family name include Goodfellow, Goodfelow and others.

Early Notables of the Goodfallow family

Another 31 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Goodfallow Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Goodfallow family

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, the Canadas, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Investigation of the origins of family names on the North American continent has revealed that early immigrants bearing the name Goodfallow or a variant listed above: George, Hugh, James, John, Joseph, William Goodfellow all arrived in Philadelphia between 1798 and 1860.