GOODALE
The surname Goodale is of English origin, deriving from Old English elements god meaning “good” and halh meaning “nook” or “recess”. Its original usage was locational, identifying those who dwelt near or in a fortunate corner of land, thus signifying a favourable or pleasant locale.
In its earliest attestations the name appears as Godhal or Godhale in the 12th and 13th centuries. A patrilineal client of this name, Toka Godala, is recorded in the Pipe Rolls of Suffolk in 1181 during the reign of King Henry XI.
There are two distinct, historically attested origins for the surname. The first is locational; it can be linked to a place in the West Riding of Yorkshire formerly called Goldale, now Gowdall, whose name is derived from pre‑7th‑century golde (the marigold flower) combined with halh. Ricardus de Goldall is listed in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Returns of 1379. The second origin is metonymic and occupational. It refers to a brewer of good ale, stemming from medieval English gode “good” and ale “ale”. The surname so formed appears in 12th‑century legal documents, such as Roger Godhal in the 1221 Assize Court Rolls of Shropshire and William Godale in the 1244 Calendar of the Monastery of Ramsey, Bedfordshire.
The name continued to appear in the early modern period. In 1635, Thomas Goodall married Alice Fluen in St James' Clerkenwell, London. By the following year, Robert Goodall, aged 30, and his wife Katherin, aged 28, departed from Ipswich aboard the vessel Elizabeth, bound for New England in April 1634, marking the family’s arrival in the New World.
In contemporary times the surname is uncommon worldwide, with a presence of only a few thousand bearers. It is most prevalent in the United States, particularly in Massachusetts, and to a lesser extent in England, Canada and Australia. Variation in spelling—including Goodall, Goodell, Goodhill, Godal, Goudall, Goodhall and Goodwill—reflects regional pronunciation differences and historical transcription errors.
Although the precise derivation may vary by geographical context, all variants share a common lineage rooted in the English landscape and the social practices of the medieval period.
Typical given names associated with the Goodale surname
Male
- Andrew
- Christopher
- Darren
- David
- Dominic
- John
- Mark
- Paul
- Peter
- Richard
- Rick
- Simon
Female
- Audrey
- Christine
- Josephine
- Karen
- Kathryn
- Kim
- Linda
- Margaret
- Samantha
- Sarah
- Sophie
- Susan
- Tonia
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 Goodale in...
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There are approximately 541 people named Goodale in the UK. That makes it one of Britain's least common surnames. Only around eight in a million people in Britain are named Goodale.
Surname type: Location or geographical feature
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Goodale
- Melvyn A. Goodale - Canadian neuroscientist
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.