Show ContentsGuilds History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

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

Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Etymology of Guilds

What does the name Guilds mean?

The Anglo-Saxon name Guilds comes from the Old English word Gold. This term was often used as an endearment or show of affection. 1

"This surname is derived from the name of an ancestor. 'the son of Gold.' from the Anglo-Saxon word gold, metaphorically precious." 2

Another source notes the name denotes a "descendant of Gold or Golda, Old English personal names derived from the metal." 3

Early Origins of the Guilds family

The surname Guilds was first found in Suffolk where Hugo filius Goldce was listed in the Domesday Book of 1086. 4 "Golde and Goldus are personal names in the Domesday Book" 2

Other early records include: Ralph filius Golde registered in the Pipe Rolls for Bedfordshire in 1193; Golde Bassat in the Hundredorum Rolls of Cheshire in 1279; Walter Golde in the Pipe Rolls for Devon in 1165; Ralph Golde in the Assize Rolls for Somerset in 1268; and John Gulde in Cornwall in 1297. 1

The Hundredorum Rolls has the name listed as a forename and a surname: Adam Gold; Golda Imayn; and Golda Bassat, Cambridgeshire. 2

The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls includes Willelmus Golde, 1370; and Ricardus Gold, 1379.

In Scotland, more often than not, the name is spelt Guild and variants of the same. It is generally thought that Goold (Gold) is a variant. 5 3

Here, the first record was of Alexander Gulde who rendered to Exchequer the accounts of the bailies of Stirling, 1421 and 1425. Thomas Gulde and William Gulid, 'husbandis,' were charter witnesses, 1481, and Henry Guld is mentioned in a Scone document of 1491. 5

Early History of the Guilds family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Guilds research. Another 195 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1193, 1312, 1500, 1502, 1512, 1521, 1584, 1586, 1593, 1619, 1644, 1657, 1659, 1675, 1676, 1678, 1709, 1710, 1734, 1794 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Guilds History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Guilds Spelling Variations

One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Guilds has appeared include Gould, Goold, Gold, Gilder and others.

Early Notables of the Guilds family

James Gould (1593-1676), an English politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1659 and 1676; and Thomas Gould (ca. 1619-1675), the first pastor of the First Baptist Church of Boston in Boston, Massachusetts. Sir Henry Gould the Elder (1644-1710), was an English judge, son and heir of Andrew Gould of Winsham, Somersetshire. Sir Henry Gould the Younger (1710-1794), was an English judge, the fourth son of Davidge Gould of Sharpham Park, Somersetshire, a barrister of the Middle Temple...
Another 78 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Guilds Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Guilds family to Ireland

Some of the Guilds family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 116 words (8 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Guilds migration to the United States +

At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Guilds arrived in North America very early:

Guilds Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • G M Guilds, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1850 6
  1. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  2. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  3. Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
  4. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  5. 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)
  6. 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)

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