Goodrich
A surname from the parish of Goodrich in Herefordshire, ultimately tied to the old personal name Godric.
The #1,838 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 15,844 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Goodrich is primarily a locational surname, taken from Goodrich in Herefordshire. The place-name is connected with the old personal name Godric, an Anglo-Saxon name meaning roughly “God-power” or “God-ruler,” rather than with the modern adjective good. Some 19th-century writers also related the name to related Germanic forms such as Goodrick and Godric, treating them as variants of the same underlying personal name.
History
The surname appears in medieval and later records as a place-based byname for people who came from Goodrich. In older surname dictionaries it is commonly grouped with Goodrick and Godric, with some forms treated as direct survivals of the ancient personal name and others as local surnames from the Herefordshire parish. The spelling Goodrich became established in English-speaking countries and is now found well beyond Britain.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Older surname writers often stressed that the first element is not “good” in the modern sense, even though the spelling makes it look that way.
From the historical record
“GOODRAM. As Goodrum. GOODRICH. 1. A parish in oo. Here- ford. 2. See Goodrick. GOODRICK. An ancient Teutonic personal name, usually written Godric and Godericus, Very common in Domesday. GOODRUM. A probable corruption of the Scandinavian name Guthrum. GOODSON. 1. Another form of God- son. 2. The parish of…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom