ALLGOOD
Allgood is a surname of Anglo‑Saxon origin, derived from the Old English phrase eall god, which translates literally to all good. The name was most likely originally a nickname or moniker bestowed upon an individual noted for his or her virtuous or morally upright conduct. In early Christian communities, such descriptive surnames were a common means of identifying people who were held in high esteem for their piety or benevolence.
Early documentary evidence records the surname in the late fourteenth century. The sundial of the Hundred Rolls of Buckinghamshire, dated to 1273 and compiled during the reign of Edward the First, contains the entry William Algod, which is regarded as the earliest known spelling of the family name. Subsequent references include a Philipus Filius Helgoy appearing in the Staffordshire Pipe Rolls of 1185, and a John Elgood found in the Suffolk Subsidy Rolls of 1524.
Records from the Domesday Book of 1086 record the personal name Helgot in Buckinghamshire, Devonshire and Staffordshire, and the name Helgod in Shropshire. It has been suggested that the surname evolved from such earlier forms, including Helgot or Helgoy, and later settled into the modern spelling Allgood. Variants that have appeared over the centuries include Allgud, Alegood, Aloogood and Algood. The name also appears in a 1625 London record under the spelling John Allgood, during the reign of King James the First.
In the eighteenth century a noted marriage recorded at St. Martin in the Fields, Westminster, on 24 December 1751 saw John Elgood unite with Margaret Wharne. The following generations continued to carry the name; a record of Mary, daughter of John and Mary Elgood, shows her christening took place on 15 October 1797 at St. Leonards, Shoreditch, London.
In terms of distribution, the surname Allgood remains predominantly found in England and in the United States, particularly in the southern states of North Carolina, Texas, Mississippi, Alabama, Kentucky and Georgia. Smaller concentrations exist in Canada, Australia and New Zealand. In Britain, the county of Northumberland in the north of England has a notable number of families bearing the name.
Occupationally, census records from the United States illustrate a strong association of the name with agriculture. Data from the available decennial censuses show that around one third of individuals identified by the surname were classified as farmers, with the remaining primarily listed as housewives, reflecting the rural nature of many Allgood families in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
The surname also shares meaning with other English family names such as Good, Goodall, Goodman and Goodson. In linguistic terms, these names may have arisen independently from the same Old English root gōd, which denotes the quality of goodness. Other foreign surnames with a comparable meaning have occasionally been anglicised to Allgood, for example the Spanish Bueno, although such cases are rare and often unconnected by lineage.
Overall, the surname Allgood exemplifies a descriptive surname that has endured through centuries of linguistic change. Its persistence is a testament to the enduring value placed on virtue within English cultural history, while its varied spellings illustrate the fluid nature of surname orthography prior to the standardisation of spelling in modern times.
Typical given names associated with the Allgood surname
Male
- Andrew
- Anthony
- Christopher
- David
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Nigel
- Paul
- Peter
- Robert
- William
Female
- Angela
- Annette
- Carol
- Christine
- Gail
- Joanne
- Patricia
- Pauline
- Rachel
- Rebecca
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Allgood in...
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There are approximately 525 people named Allgood in the UK. That makes it one of Britain's least common surnames. Only around eight in a million people in Britain are named Allgood.
Surname type: Nickname
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
