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Goodey Family History

Goodey Surname Meaning

From the Middle English salutation godne dæie about 1205, godun dai about 1250, and god dai after 1300 (OED), meaning ‘(have a God give you a) good day!’. Compare Haggerty (2) and the salutation ‘good morrow’ in Walter Godemorwe (Godemorwen) 1327 in Subsidy Rolls (Essex). Some of the following bearers may alternatively belong with (2) -3 or (4).

Possibly in some instances from Middle English god(e) day(e) (or dey(e)) meaning ‘good dairy man’ (see Day). This comes from Middle English god(e) ‘good’ + hei(e) ‘enclosed plot field’ (Old English gōd + (ge)hæg), referring to someone who lived ‘(at the) good enclosure’. Compare Goodacre and Goodfield.

A variant of Goodeve may originate from the Middle English female personal name Godive or from the word goodwife, goody. This could also stem from a reduced form of the Middle English female personal name Godith, from Old English Godgȳð (‘god God’ + ‘battle’).

Compare Johanne Godithson 1379 in Poll Tax (Scarisbrick with Hurlston, Lancs). It was sometimes confused with Goodeve in (3), as seen in William Godith(e) Godyth Gwodyf 1317 in Assize Rolls (Kent). Godyf, widow of John Clare, is also referred to as Goditha Clare de Strode in Assize Rolls (Kent).

Examples of Goody and Goodie below may alternatively belong with (1) or (3).

Source: The Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland, 2016

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Where is the Goodey family from?

You can see how Goodey families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Goodey family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Goodey families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1891 there were 316 Goodey families living in Essex. This was about 38% of all the recorded Goodey's in United Kingdom. Essex had the highest population of Goodey families in 1891.

Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Goodey surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

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What did your Goodey ancestors do for a living?

View Census Data for Goodey | Data not to scale

Top Male Occupations In 1939

General Labourer
17%
Builders Labourer
10%
Bricklayer
5%
Carpenter joiner
5%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

Unpaid Domestic Duties
76%
Housewife
4%
Unpaid Domestic
3%
Domestic Duties
3%

What Goodey family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 18,000 census records available for the last name Goodey. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Goodey census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

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Passenger Lists

There are 1,000 immigration records available for the last name Goodey. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

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Draft Cards

There are 1,000 military records available for the last name Goodey. For the veterans among your Goodey ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

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What is the average Goodey lifespan?

Between 1944 and 2003, in the United States, Goodey life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1944, and highest in 1990. The average life expectancy for Goodey in 1944 was 28, and 70 in 2003.

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