Gould Family Crest, Coat of Arms and Name History

Gould Origin:

England

Origins of Name:

The surname of Gould is of an Anglo-Saxon origin, with two possible sources. The first of these sources is that the Gould surname is derived from a personal name or nickname, derived from the Old English word “Golde”. Golde is the femine form of the name. And also from the Old English word “Golda” which is a masculine name. They both translate to mean gold. This name was often given to someone who had golden hair, or perhaps was sometimes given to a precious person, or someone with intrinsic value. The second possible origin of this surname of Gould is that the names of Gould, Gold, or Goult were given to someone who worked in gold, such as a jeweler, refiner, or gilder. This is an occupational surname, which is also derived from the Old English “golda” or “golde” and used for a different purpose.

Variations:

More common variations are:

Gold, Goold, Goulde, Gouldy, Gouled, Ghould, Gouild, Gouldh, Goulda, Gouldd, Goulad

History:

England:

The first recorded spelling of the surname of Gould was found in the Pipe Rolls of Devonshire in the year 1165, as one Walter Gold. The Pipe Rolls were under the direction of King Henry II, who was known as “The Builder of Churches” and reigned from the year 1154 to the year 1189. In the Doomsday Book of 1086, one named Hugo filius Golde was recorded, and in the 1193 Pipe Rolls of Bedfordshire, Ralph filius Golde was listed. As a reminder, the Doomsday Book of 1086 was said to contain the “Great Survey” of England. This surname of Gould is found all over the counties of England and Wales. In England, the places with the highest concentrations of those who bear the surname of Gould are the counties of Wiltshire, Staffordshire, Derbyshire, Essex, Somerset, Devon, Hampshire, Lancashire, Yorkshire, Cheshire, Dorset, and the city of London.

Scotland:

In Scotland, those who carry the surname of Gould are established in the entire country. The counties that have the larger populations of those with the surname of Gould are Angus, Aberdeenshire, Fife, Midlothian, and Lanarkshire.

Ireland

The Irish version of the name Gould has been Goold. The first known ancestor of this name in Ireland is William Goold. He is believed to possibly be Anglo-Norman origin. He was the mayor of Cork in 1443. For generations after the family would be landowners and merchants in the town. By the late 1800s the line would cease abrubtly when James Goold would leave for Australia, and Vere Goold was tried and convicted in a famous murder case.

United States:

In the 1600’s European citizens began to leave their home country in search of a new and better life. The United States of America, which at that time was referred to as the New World, was filled with promises of religious freedom, new and interesting jobs, land with no owner, and better overall living conditions. Thus, America was a high destination during the European Migration. The first person who landed in America and was recorded to have the surname of Gould, was as man named Nathaniell Gould, who settled in the state of Virginia in the year 1620. Closely following him was Peter Gould, who also landed in the state of Virginia, but two years later, in 1622. Thirteen years later, Jarvice Gould, John Gould, and Edward Gould sailed on the ship named the “Elizabeth” from London. England, to Boston, Massachusetts, in the year 1635. Those people in the United States of America who carry the surname of Gould are congregated in very high concentrations in the states od Maine, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Vermont, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. However, by the time the 20th Century rolled around, those who were identified with the surname of Gould were found mostly in the state of New York.

Gould Today:

United States 47,213

England 16,391

Canada 7,180

Australia 6,384

South Africa 2,776

New Zealand 1,380

Wales 1,106

Scotland 801

France 502

Argentina 403

Notable People:

David Gould (1943-1988) who was a college professor from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, who flew aboard the Pan Am Flight 103 from Frankfurt to Detroit, which was known as the Lockerbie Bombing in 1988, and died

George Jay Gould (1864-1923) who was the President of the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad and the Western Pacific Railroad

Chester Gould (1900-1985) who was the cartoonist and creator of the Dick Tracy comic strip

Morton Gould (1913-1996) who was a composer, conductor, arranger and pianist from America who was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Music in 1995

Gordon Gould (1920-2005) who was a physicist from America credited with the invention of the laser

Elliott Gould (born in 1938) who was an actor from America, played Trapper John in M*A*S*H

Laurence McKinley Gould (1896-1995) who was a geologist, educator, and polar explorer from America

Mr. Richard Gould (died in 1915) who worked aboard the RMS Lusitania as a Senior Boilermaker from Bootle, Lancashire, England, and died in the sinking of the Lusitania in 1915

Blazons & Genealogy Notes

1) (Frome Bellett and Frampton, co. Glamorgan). Motto—Non nobis esti. Per saltire or and az. a lion ramp. counterchanged. Cresi— An arm embowed, vested gu. cuffed or, holding in the hand ppr. a banner paly of six az. and gold, on a canton ar. a cross of the first, the staff also gold.
2) (Exeter, temp. Edward III.; Combe in Staverton, temp. Elizabeth, and afterwards of Hayes and Downes, co. Devon; the elder branch became extinct at the decease of William Gould, Esq., in 1726; his co-heirs m. Buller and Tuckfield; a younger branch was of Lew Trenchard). Per saltire az. and or, a lion ramp. counterchanged. Crest—A demi lion ramp. bezantee.
3) (Lew Trenchard, co. Devon; the last male heir, Edward Gould, Esq., of that place, d. in 1788, leaving a sister and heiress, Margaret, wife of Charles Baring, Esq.). Motto—Probitate et labore. Per saltire or and az. a lion ramp. counterchanged, for Gould, quartering Baring. Crest—A demi lion ramp. az. bezantee.
4) (Dorchester and Edmonton, co. Middlesex). Per saltire az. and or, a lion ramp. counterchanged. Crest—An arm vested vert, holding in the hand ppr. a banner or, charged with three bars wavy az. on a canton ar. a rose gu.
5) (Fleet House, co. Dorset). Same Arms. Crest—An arm embowed, vested gu. cuff or, holding in the hand ppr. a banner paly of six az. and of the second, on a canton ar. a cross of the first, the staff gold.
6) (Upwey, co. Dorset; exemplified to Hamilton Llewellyn Jackson, eldest surviving son of Thomas Jackson, Esq., of Fanningstown, co. Limerick, and grandson of Thomas Jackson, Esq., of same place, by Barbaba Gould, his wife, dau. of William Read, Esq., of Bradford, co. Wilts, and Barbara, his wife, sister and heiress of James Gould, Esq., of Upwey, upon his assuming, by royal licence, 1871, the name of Gould in place of Jackson). Motto—Revirescat. (Admiral Sir Davidge Gould, G.C.B.). Motto—A Nilo Victoria. Quarterly, 1st and 4th, per saltire az. and or, a lion ramp. counterchanged, for Gould; 2nd and 3rd, ar. a greyhound courant ermines betw. three eagles’ heads erased sa., for Jackson. Crest—An arm embowed vested vert, holding in the hand a flagstaff ppr. therefrom flowing a banner or, charged with three barrulets wavy az. on a canton ar. a cross gu.
7) Az. a lion ramp. or, betw. three scrolls ar. Crest—A demi lion ramp. or, holding a scroll ar.
8) Paly of six ar. and sa. six crosses crosslet or.
9) (Ireland). Or, a lion ramp. gu. Crest—A martlet or.
10) 0 Ar. a fess sa. betw. three goldfinches in chief vert and a cinquefoil in base of the last pierced or.
11) (Scotland). Ar. a chev. betw. three trefoils slipped gu. Crest—Within the horns of a crescent ar. a buckle or.