Goudy History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland

The Strathclyde-Briton people of ancient Scotland were the first to use the name Goudy. The Goudy family lived in Edinburghshire, where the family was found since the early Middle Ages. Goudy is an ancient Scottish name that evolved from the Goldie, which derives from the Old English personal name Gold.

Early Origins of the Goudy family

The surname Goudy was first found in Edinburghshire, where the name appears from about 1598 onwards and later in the forms Gowdie, Gaudie, Goddie. "Robert Gowdie was a writer in Edinburgh, 1643 and John Gawdie was one of 'those who ere matriculat in the Companie of Merchands of Edinbergh,' 1687. William Goudie in Ayr, 1689. The surname was early carried to the north appearing in Shetland first in 1576 in the person of Gawane Gadie of Lougasettar, Dunrossness." 1

Early History of the Goudy family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Goudy research. Another 126 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1567, 1576, 1643, 1689, 1783 and 1847 are included under the topic Early Goudy History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Goudy Spelling Variations

Medieval Scottish names are rife with spelling variations. This is due to the fact that scribes in that era spelled according to the sound of words, rather than any set of rules. Goudy has been spelled Goudie, Gouday, Goudey, Goudy, Gowdy, Gowdie, Gadie, Goodie, Gady and many more.

Early Notables of the Goudy family

Another 33 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Goudy Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Goudy Ranking

In the United States, the name Goudy is the 10,905^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2

Migration of the Goudy family to Ireland

Some of the Goudy family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 32 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Goudy migration to the United States +

Many Scots were left with few options other than to leave their homeland for the colonies across the Atlantic. Some of these families fought to defend their newfound freedom in the American War of Independence. Others went north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. The ancestors of all of these families have recently been able to rediscover their roots through Clan societies and other Scottish organizations. Among them:

Goudy Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Frederick Dryer Goudy, aged 32, who landed in Indiana in 1892 3

Goudy migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Goudy Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Elias Goudy who settled in Lower Island Cove, Newfoundland in 1854 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Goudy (post 1700) +

Frederic W Goudy (1865-1947), American type designer whose typefaces include Copperplate Gothic, Kennerly, and Goudy Old Style
William C. Goudy, American politician, Socialist Labor Candidate for Presidential Elector for Pennsylvania, 1956 5
William C. Goudy, American Democratic Party politician, Member of Illinois Democratic State Committee, 1862-64; Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Illinois, 1868, 1888 5
Roy Goudy, American politician, Mayor of El Dorado, Arkansas, 1960 5
Frank C. Goudy, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Colorado, 1896 5
Frank B. Goudy (d. 1944), American politician, Justice of Colorado State Supreme Court, 1942-44 5
Clinton T. Goudy, American Republican politician, Member of Maine State House of Representatives from Cumberland County (9th), 1931-32 5
Alexander Porter Goudy (1809-1858), Irish Presbyterian divine, son of the Rev. Andrew Goudy (Presbyterian minister of Ballywalter, co. Down, from 1802 to 1818) 6
Yann Goudy (b. 1975), French racing driver

Historic Events for the Goudy family +

HMS Prince of Wales

Mr. Lawrence J Goudy, British Commander (E), who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and survived the sinking 7

The Goudy Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Honestas
Motto Translation: Honesty.

Citations +

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)
"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)
Seary E.R., Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, Montreal: McGill's-Queen's Universtity Press 1998 ISBN 0-7735-1782-0
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 23) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 30 June 2020
HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html