GARTSIDE
Gartside is an English locational surname, originating from the setting of an enclosure in the north of England. The name derives from the Old English words geard, meaning “enclosure” or “yard”, and the pre‑7th‑century word side, meaning a hill or a slope. The combination suggests a person who dwelt by or worked within an enclosed area beside a hill.
In the context of the Northern Middle English period the term garth—which can also describe a garden or paddock—was used in the same way. Over the centuries the spelling of the name varied. Historical entries record forms such as Garsit (1589), Gartheside (1625), Gartsyde (1635) and Garsid (1648). The modern spelling Garside, now almost universal, emerged after the gradual loss of the h and the t in the name.
The earliest known writing of the surname is found in a record for Robert de Garcesside, dated about 1327. This document was produced in Oldham, Lancashire, during the reign of King Edward I, whose rule extended from 1272 to 1307 but is noted in the source as stretching to 1377 for administrative purposes. The entry is the first verified instance of the family name and confirms its location within Lancashire.
On 23 March 1589, a Lady Alice Gartside was christened at Manchester Cathedral, a record that illustrates the existing usage of the surname in the industrial heart of Manchester. Later, on 24 November 1653, the marriage of Henry Gartside and Jane Crompton was entered in the records of Saddleworth, Yorkshire, further indicating the geographical dispersal of the family during the 17th century.
During the Middle Ages many people migrated from their birthplace in pursuit of employment or better prospects. This movement contributed markedly to the growth of the surname beyond its original valley in Oldham, leading to the wide dispersal of the name across northern England and beyond in subsequent centuries.
Thus the surname Gartside, while no longer common in the form of its earliest records, endures today chiefly as Garside, a name whose roots reach back to the pastoral landscapes and early medieval societies of northern England.
Typical given names associated with the Gartside surname
Male
- Andrew
- Darren
- David
- Dominic
- Ian
- James
- John
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Richard
- Robert
- Steven
Female
- Catherine
- Elizabeth
- Emma
- Helen
- Iwona
- Julie
- Karen
- Kathleen
- Margaret
- Mary
- Sarah
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 Gartside in...
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Morse
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There are approximately 1,220 people named Gartside in the UK. That makes it roughly the 6,350th most common surname in Britain. Around 19 in a million people in Britain are named Gartside.
Famous people named Gartside
- Green Gartside - Musician, fronted popular post-punk band
- Bob Gartside - Football player (1906 to 1970)
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.