Show ContentsGould History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Gould Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Etymology of Gould

What does the name Gould mean?

The family name of a Jew was typically left to the individual person up until the end of the 18th century. Majority, especially in Germany and eastern Europe, still followed the custom having their father's name included in their name. Whereas, Jews in Spain, Portugal, and Italy had already adopted the practice of using fixed family names. 1

The Jewish name Gould is an older form of Gold, and as such is generally a metronymic name, derived from the Yiddish female first name "Golde." In some cases the name was likely assumed as an ornamental name: the Yiddish "gold" means 'gold.'

Gould Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Gould, Goulde, Gouldbush, Goulden, Gouldsmith and many more.

Gould World Ranking

the United States, the name Gould is the 815th most popular surname with an estimated 37,305 people with that name. 2 However, in Canada, the name Gould is ranked the 675th most popular surname with an estimated 7,721 people with that name. 3 And in Newfoundland, Canada, the name Gould is the 373rd popular surname with an estimated 125 people with that name. 4 Australia ranks Gould as 442nd with 8,496 people. 5 New Zealand ranks Gould as 462nd with 1,491 people. 6 The United Kingdom ranks Gould as 395th with 16,353 people. 7

Gould migration to the United States +



Gould Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Nathaniell Gould, who settled in Virginia in 1620
  • Peter Gould, who landed in Virginia in 1622 9
  • John Gould, aged 25, who arrived in New England in 1635 aboard the ship "Defence" 9
  • Mrs. Grace Gould, aged 25, who arrived in New England in 1635 aboard the ship "Defence" 9
  • Edward Gould, a pailmaker, who sailed on the "Elizabeth" in 1635 from London and landed in Boston
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Gould Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Maria Gould, aged 78, who arrived in Massachusetts in 1755 9
  • Elizabeth Gould, who arrived in America in 1766 9
  • James Gould, who arrived in Baltimore, Maryland in 1784 9
  • John Gould, who arrived in Baltimore in 1784 with his wife Ellen Drysdale and their two sons
  • Alexander Gould, who arrived in Baltimore, Maryland in 1784 9
Gould Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Jean Gould, who landed in New York in 1827 9
  • William Gould, who landed in New York in 1827 9
  • John Evans Gould, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1838 9
  • Christopher Gould, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1848 9
  • Oliver Gould, aged 30, who arrived in Mobile, Ala in 1849 9
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Gould migration to Canada +

Gould Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Mr. Thomas Gould U.E. who arrived at Port Roseway [Shelburne], Nova Scotia on October 26, 1783 was passener number 238 aboard the ship "HMS Clinton", picked up on September 28,1783 at Staten Island, New York 10
  • Mr. Abraham Gould U.E. who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1784 10
  • Mrs. Catherine Gould U.E. who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1784 10
  • Mr. John Gould Sr., U.E. who settled in Home District [York County], Ontario c. 1784 10
  • Mr. John Gould Jr., U.E. born in Massachusetts, USA who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1784 10
Gould Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Elizabeth Gould, who lived in Annapolis, Nova Scotia during the eighteenth century
  • Cornelius I Gould, who arrived in Canada in 1831

Gould migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia included the Second Fleet and Third Fleet of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Second Fleet
Third Fleet
  • Mr. John Gould, (b. 1741), aged 46, English settler convicted in Exeter, Devon on 20th March 1784, sentenced for 7 years for theft, transported aboard the ship "Charlotte" leaving on 13th May 1787 arriving in New South Wales, Australia on 22nd January 1788 9
  • Mr. Peter Gould, British boatswain on the Navy support ship for the First Fleet the "HMAT Supply" leaving in 1787 arriving in New South Wales, Australia in 1788
Following the Second and Third Fleets, other convicts and early settlers arriving in Australia include:

Gould Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. William Gould, British Convict who was convicted in Bristol, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Batavia" in October 1817, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 11
  • Mr. Benjamin Gould, British Convict who was convicted in Warwick, Warwickshire, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Elizabeth" on 11th August 1820, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 12
  • William Gould, a mason, who arrived in Van Diemen’s Land (now Tasmania) sometime between 1825 and 1832
  • Mathew Gould, a wheelwright, who arrived in Van Diemen’s Land (now Tasmania) sometime between 1825 and 1832
  • Mr. John Gould, English convict who was convicted in Nottinghamshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Florentia" on 14th August 1827, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 13
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Gould 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:

Gould Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Gould, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Prince of Wales" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 3rd January 1843 14
  • Miss Jane Gould, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Stately" arriving in Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 5th February 1854 14
  • George Gould, aged 37, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Shamrock" in 1856
  • Mr. Samuel Gould, (b. 1842), aged 20, British gardener travelling from London aboard the ship "Echunga" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 24th December 1862 15
  • Mr. Daniel Gould, (b. 1845), aged 20, British labourer travelling from London aboard the ship 'Mermaid' arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 1st January 1866 15
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Gould (post 1700) +

  • Morton Gould (1913-1996), American composer, conductor, arranger, and pianist awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Music in 1995
  • Glenn Herbert Gould (1932-1982), Canadian pianist who became one of the best-known and most celebrated classical pianists of the twentieth century
  • Thomas Gould (1660-1730), British banker and goldsmith and Quaker, co-founder with John Freame, Freame & Gould, which later became Barclays bank
  • Edwin Jed Fish Gould III (1955-2025), known to radio listeners as "Jed the Fish", American disc jockey
  • Carol Gould (1953-2021), American writer and broadcaster based in the United Kingdom, a regular commentator on radio and television news channels
  • Desiree Joan Gould (1945-2021), American theater, film and television actress, singer and dancer, best known for her role as Aunt Martha in the 1983 slasher film Sleepaway Camp
  • Kingdon Gould Jr. (1924-2018), American diplomat, businessman, and philanthropist, United States Ambassador to the Netherlands (1973-1976), United States Ambassador to Luxembourg (1969-1972)
  • George Jay Gould (1864-1923), American president of the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad and the Western Pacific Railroad
  • Chester Gould (1900-1985), U.S. cartoonist and the creator of the Dick Tracy comic strip
  • ... (Another 17 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Pan Am Flight 103 (Lockerbie)
  • David Gould (1943-1988), American College Professor from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, America, who flew aboard the Pan Am Flight 103 from Frankfurt to Detroit, known as the Lockerbie bombing in 1988 and died 16
  • Mr. Richard Gould, English Senior Boilermaker from Bootle, Lancashire, England, who worked aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking 17
  • Mr. Harry Lee Gould, American Seaman First Class from Illinois, USA working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he died in the sinking 18

Suggested Readings for the name Gould +

  • The Gould Family and Allied Families: The Goulds and their 146 Great Grandparents by Helen Weaver Gould.
  1. Kaganoff, Benzion C. A Dictionary of Jewish names and their history. Schocken Books, 1977. Digital
  2. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  3. "Surnames Meanings, Origins & Distribution Maps - Forebears." Forebears, https://forebears.io/surnames
  4. The order of Common Surnames in 1955 in Newfoundland retrieved on 20th October 2021 (retrieved from Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland by E.R. Seary corrected edition ISBN 0-7735-1782-0)
  5. "Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
  6. "Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
  7. "UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
  8. Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 4th February 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships
  9. 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)
  10. Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
  11. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 30th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/batavia
  12. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 3rd March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elizabeth
  13. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 5th October 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/florentia
  14. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  15. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  16. Pan Am Flight 103's victims: A list of those killed 25 years ago | syracuse.com. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2013/12/pan_am_flight_103s_victims_a_list_of_those_killed_25_years_ago.html
  17. Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 10) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/
  18. Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html

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