GOLDIE

Goldie is a surname of Gaelic origin that is chiefly associated with the British Isles, particularly Scotland. The name is derived from the Gaelic phrase gille dubh, which translates to dark‑haired lad.

As a patronymic surname, Goldie was originally employed to identify the son of an individual known as Gille Dubh. Over successive generations the designation was fixed as a hereditary family name and is now carried by persons in Scotland and beyond who can trace their ancestry to that original bearer.

Historical records provide early attestations of the name. In 1567 the Ecclesiastical Records of Scotland record a William Goldy who held the position of bishop in Moray during the final year of the reign of Mary, Queen of Scots. Later, Reverend John Goldie (1718‑1847) served as minster of the parish of Temple in Midlothian for more than five decades.

Another line of evidence indicates that Goldie may also have developed from the medieval surname Gold, recorded as far back as the seventh century. The word Gold was applied in a transferred sense to describe a person of golden fair complexion, possibly of Viking origin, or it was used as a nickname for a goldsmith, gilder or for someone with an unusual pigmentation of one eye. In England the name is recorded in 1345 as Guldeneye, literally meaning golden eye.

Throughout the centuries the spelling of the surname has varied. Common forms include Goldie, Gouldie, Goldy, Goldye, Gowdie and Goudy. Other variants that appear in records are Goldey, Golfer, Goiber, Golby, and the Anglicised forms presented in early church and civil documents.

Goldie is predominantly found in Scotland and England, where it is especially frequent in Lanarkshire and in North‑East England, notably the North Yorkshire area. The surname has crossed the Atlantic with Scottish emigrants and is now recorded in Canada, particularly in Ontario and Alberta, as well as in Australia, New Zealand and the United States. Further south and east the name occurs in Germany, Ireland, Italy, Spain and Brazil.

The tradition that the surname may represent an Anglicised form of the Gaelic Mac Gille, meaning “son of the lad”, has been noted, but this is a linguistic interpretation rather than a documented lineage.

Several individuals of note have borne the surname Goldie. In the late nineteenth century Charles Goldie gained prominence as a painter in New Zealand. The name is also recorded in connection with Shimon Goldie, who served as mayor of Tel Aviv in the 1930s and 1940s, and with Barry Goldie, an American boxer who won the Heavyweight World Super‑Sparring Championship in 1965. In the realm of popular culture the surname has been associated with actors such as Goldie Hawn.

Typical given names associated with the Goldie surname

Male

• Alexander
• Andrew
• David
• James
• John
• Michael
• Peter
• Robert
• Thomas
• William

Female

• Alison
• Anne
• Barbara
• Catherine
• Claire
• Elizabeth
• Helen
• Linda
• Margaret
• Mary
• 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 Goldie in...

Braille

⠛⠕⠇⠙⠊⠑

Morse

--.---.-..-.....

Semaphore

Origin: Celtic

Region of origin: British Isles

Country of origin: Scotland

Religion of origin: Christian

Language of origin: Gaelic

Famous people named Goldie

• Annabel Goldie - Politician
• Peter Goldie - Academic philosopher (1946 to 2011)
• Grace Wyndham Goldie - BBC Executive (1900 to 1986)
• Wyndham Goldie - Actor (1897 to 1957)
• Michael Goldie - Actor (1932 to 2013)
• Hugh Goldie - Theatre director (1919 to 2010)
• Claude Goldie - Rower (1876 to 1956)
• Noel Goldie - Politician (1882 to 1964)
• William Goldie - Scottish football player (1878 to 1952)
• Jim Goldie - Scottish football player
• Archie Goldie - Scottish football player (1874 to 1953)
• Kenneth Goldie - Cricketer (1882 to 1938)
• Hugh Goldie - Scottish football player
• George Goldie - Ecclesiastical architect (1828 to 1887)
• Malcolm Goldie - American soccer player-coach
• John Goldie -
• Edward Goldie - Football player
• John Goldie - Scottish botanist and author (1793 to 1886)

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.

Your comments on the Goldie surname