Gould
A surname usually taken as a spelling variant of Gold, often originally a nickname for a golden-haired or gold-related person.
The #891 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 7,932 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Gould is generally treated as a variant spelling of Gold. The name comes from Old English or earlier Germanic forms meaning “gold,” and was likely first used as a nickname for someone with golden hair, a warm complexion, or some association with gold. Some older writers also noted that the added -u- in Gould may be a spelling habit rather than a different origin.
History
English records show Gould early, and one 19th-century source notes Gould families in Exeter municipal records back to the reign of Edward III. The surname also appears in both English and Irish contexts, where it may overlap with or be influenced by other Gold/Gould forms. In modern use it is well established across Britain, Ireland, and the English-speaking world.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Bardsley remarked that what had once been the girl's name Gold had become the surname Gould, with the spelling shifting by pronunciation and habit.
From the historical record
“Belward, baron of Malpas, originally as- sumed the name, in Norman times. GOULD. See Gold. The Goulds are traceable in the municipal records of Exeter to the time of Edward III. Lysous. GOULDEN. See Gold. GOULDING. See Gold. GOULDSISIITH. See Goldsmith. GOULTY. Probably the French Gnal- tk'i; (Walter) to which in…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom