Surname Origins, Their Source and Significations (1875)

represent our registers. Our 'Godbolds ' are found in the dress of' Godbolde,'our 'Goodier's' and ' Good-years' as 'Goder' or 'Godyer,'and our 'Goddards' as 'Godard.' The Hundred Rolls give us a 'John fil. Godard.' The Alpine mountain reminds us of its connection with 'Gotthard,' and Miss Yonge states that it is still in use as a Christian name in Germany. 'Gottschalk,' a common surname in the same country, was well known as a personal name in England in the forms of 'Godescalde,'1 'Godescall,' or 'Godeschalke,'such entries as 'Godefry fil. Godescallus,'or 'Godeskalcus Armorer,' or 'John Godescalde,' being not unfrequent. The latter name suggests to us our 'Godsalls' and 'Godshalls' as the present English sur-nominal forms. ' Gottschalk' in our directories may always be looked upon as a more recent importation from Germany. Goderic was perhaps the commonest of this class — its usual dress in our registers being 'Gooderick; ' Goderiche,' 'Godrick,' and 'Godric: An early Saxon abbot was exalted into the ranks of the saints as 'St.Goderic,' and this would have its influence in the selection of baptismal names at that period. 'Guthlac,' not without descendants, too, though less easily recognisable in our 'Goodlake's' and 'Goodlucks,' and ' Geoffrey,' or 'Godfrey,' whom I shall have occasion to mention again, belong to the same category.2The last of this class I may mention is the old 'Godeberd,' or 'Godbert.' As simple

'One John Godescalde was in 1298 forbidden to dwell in Oxford,
owing to some riot between Town and Gown (Mun. Acad. Oxon. p. 67).
2 Herbert M. Godman occurs in the 'Cal. Rot. Pat. in Turri
Londonensi.' As a personal name it will belong to the same class as
' Bateman,' 'Coleman,' 'Sweteman.' Such entries as 'Bateman Gille,'

PATRONYMIC SURNAMES.

'Godeberd' it is found in such a name as 'Roger Godeberd,' met with in the London Tower records. Somewhat more corrupted we come across a 'John Gotebedde' in the Hundred Rolls of the thirteenth century; and much about the same time a 'Robert Gotobedd' lived in Winchelsea. In this latter form, I need scarcely say, it has now a somewhat flourishingexistence in our midst. Some will be reminded of the lines:

Mr. Barker's as mute as a fish in the sea,
Mr. Miles never moves on a journey,

Mr. Gotobcd sits up till half-after three,
Mr. Makcpeace was bred an attorney.

Still, despite its long antiquity, when I recal the pretty Godbert from which it arose, I would, were I one of them, go to bed as such some night for the last time, nor get up again till I could dress, if not my person, at least my personality in its real and more antique habiliment.

'Os,' as a rootword implicative of deity, has madefor itself a firm place in our 'Osbalds, 'Osberts,' ' Os-wins,' 'Oswalds,' 'Osbornes,' and 'Osmund's' or 'Os monds.' Instances of all these may be seen in our olderregistries. We quickly light upon entries such as 'Osbert le Ferrur,' 'Osborne le Hawkere,' 'Oswin Ogle,'

'Thomas Batemanson,' 'Richard Batmonson,' 'Coleman le Hen,' 'Swetman fil. Edith,' or 'Swcteman Textor,'arc not unfrequent. 'Tiddcman' is of the same class. 'Tydeman le Swartc' and 'Tiddeman Bokere' both occur in the fourteenth century. All the above are firmly established as surnames. Having referred to 'Sweetman,'I may add that 'Sweet' itsclf was a baptismal name. 'Swet le Bone' (A), 'John Swetson' ('State Papers, Domestic, 1619-1623 '), 'Adam Swetcoc' (A).