GARSIDE
Garside is a surname of purely English origin, derived from Old English elements that describe a particular landscape feature. The first element, gar, means "spear" and the second element, sīde, means "side" or "bank". In combination they denote a spear‑shaped hill or a distinctive riverbank. The name was originally applied as a topographical surname to those who lived near such an elevation or bank, or more generally as a locational surname for those who came from a place called Garside or a similar variant.
The place name itself is associated with the town of Oldham in Lancashire. According to medieval records it was derived from Middle English garth, meaning "enclosure" (a development of the Old Norse garthr), and the Old English pre-7th-century word side, meaning a hill slope. Thus the original place name could be rendered as “enclosure on the hill slope.” When people moved away from the area for employment or other reasons they were often identified by the name of their birthplace, giving rise to the surname Garside and its variant spellings such as Gartside and Garthside.
Historical documents provide the earliest evidence of the name. The 1379 Poll Tax returns of Yorkshire record a person named Richard atte Garthend, an early example of the locational surname in use. In the Lancashire church registers the christening of John Garside is dated 20 December 1558 at St. Mary's Church, Oldham. The family’s motto and heraldic devices are also documented; a coat of arms granted to the Garside family is described as a silver field featuring a black galley with its sails furled, red flags, and three red crosses crosslet fitchee. Above the shield the crest consists of two daggers in saltire, proper. The earliest recorded spelling of the family name is that of Robert de Garcesside in 1333, found in the Registers of Oldham during the reign of King Edward I, who reigned from 1272 to 1307.
Given that the surname is rooted in Anglo‑Saxon and early medieval times, it is unsurprising that the earliest bearers would have been Christian, as Christianity had become firmly established in England by the period when the surname first appeared in the records. The prevalence of the name in the British Isles, particularly in the north of England, reflects its geographical origins and the migration of families from the Oldham area throughout the country. The surname remains a clear reminder of the way landscape shaped the early identification and later the social mobility of English families.
Typical given names associated with the Garside surname
Male
- Andrew
- Christopher
- David
- James
- John
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Richard
- Stephen
Female
- Barbara
- Carol
- Christine
- Claire
- Elizabeth
- Emma
- Helen
- Jacqueline
- Jane
- Jean
- Margaret
- Mary
- 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 Garside in...
Braille
⠛⠁⠗⠎⠊⠙⠑
Morse
--..-.-......-...
Semaphore
There are approximately 5,925 people named Garside in the UK. That makes it roughly the 1,604th most common surname in Britain. Around 91 in a million people in Britain are named Garside.
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Garside
- KatieJane Garside - Singer
- Robert Garside - Athlete, first person to run around the world
- James Garside - Football player
- Melanie Garside-Wight - Association football player
- Mark Garside - Ice hockey player
- Charles Brierley Garside - Catholic divine (1818 to 1876)
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.