Good
A straightforward surname from a word meaning “good,” likely first used as a nickname for a good-natured or upright person.
The #981 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 8,710 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname comes from the common English adjective good, inherited from Old English gōd, meaning “good, virtuous, desirable, or suitable.” As a surname, it was most likely first used as a nickname for someone regarded as upright, kind, or worthy. In some cases it may also have been used as a shortened form of longer names beginning with Good- or God-, but the basic nickname sense is the main explanation.
History
The name is found in medieval English records and later continued as an ordinary hereditary surname. Because the word itself was so common, the surname could arise independently in more than one family line. It also appears in related forms such as Goode and, in some records, may be influenced by spellings with God- that were later normalized.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Because “good” was such a natural nickname, this is one of the most transparent English surnames: the meaning is still obvious to modern speakers.
From the historical record
“found in the H.R. GOOD. From excellence of character, like the F'-. Le Eon. GOODACRE. Probably Q^Qrm.gntfcmhrr, a burying ground (liternlly God's I^ield). — Analogous to our Cliurchyard, and the me- dieval In Cemeterio. GOODAIR. The same as Goodere. GOODALE. Is probably local, being not Good-ale, but Qoo-ihde.”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United KingdomNotable people named Good
- Jon Moxley (b. 1985)
- Magnus the Good (1024–1047)
Sourced from Wikidata; linked to their Wikipedia page.