GOOLD
Goold is an English surname that derives from the Old English word gold, meaning “gold”. The name was originally employed as a nickname for a person with golden hair or a golden complexion, or as a metonymic occupational name for a goldsmith, jeweller or gilder who worked with the precious metal.
The surname appears in a number of medieval English records. The earliest definitive record is that of Walter Golde in the Pipe Rolls of Devonshire dated 1165, during the reign of King Henry I. In the Domesday Book of 1086, the name appears as Hugo, son of Golda, recorded for Suffolk, and in the 1193 Pipe Rolls of Bedfordshire Ralph, son of Golde is listed.
In the post‑medieval period, church registers provide further attestations. The christening of Ann Gould was recorded on 11 December 1580 at St. Andrew’s in Holborn, and the christening of Margaret Goult was recorded on 14 May 1663 at St. Giles’ Cripplegate.
Coat‑of‑arms tradition associates the name with a shield divided per saltire in gold and blue, bearing a lion rampant counter‑changed. The crest is described as a blue demi‑lion rampant bezantee.
Variants of the surname are widespread: Gould, Goult, Gold, Golde, Ghould, and Gooldt. In Scotland, the name is recorded as a habitational surname deriving from a place in Ayrshire or Bute; several bearers appear on the Ragman Roll of 1296. In Ireland the name has been carried by notable figures such as the poet James Goold (1826‑1862).
Geographical distribution shows a strong concentration in the United Kingdom, particularly in Derbyshire, where the name remains common. Throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, bearers of the name migrated to other parts of the UK, and subsequently to the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. The name is considered uncommon in most English‑speaking countries.
In summary, Goold is a surname of Anglo‑Saxon origin that has survived from the twelfth century to the present, retained in a number of documented records and heraldic traditions, and continues to be borne by individuals across the English‑speaking world, albeit with relative rarity.
Typical given names associated with the Goold surname
Male
- Anthony
- David
- Ian
- James
- John
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Richard
- Robert
- Stephen
Female
- Catherine
- Eleanor
- Elizabeth
- Emma
- Jennifer
- Karen
- Laura
- Margaret
- Mary
- Nicola
- Rachel
- Sheena
- 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 Goold in...
Braille
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Morse
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Semaphore
There are approximately 866 people named Goold in the UK. That makes it roughly the 8,258th most common surname in Britain. Around 13 in a million people in Britain are named Goold.
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Goold
- Rupert Goold - Theatre director
- James Goold, Baron Goold - Statutory auditor (1934 to 1997)
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.