Osgood
A surname from an old Anglo-Saxon personal name, preserved in medieval records and place-names.
The #5,619 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 49,910 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Osgood comes from an early English personal name, recorded in medieval forms such as Osgod and Osgot. The name is usually explained as a North Germanic form meaning something like “divine Gaut” or “god of the Geats,” built from elements for “god/divine” and the tribal name Gaut. Later English spelling and pronunciation simplified the name into Osgood.
History
Historical sources show the name in medieval England and in related place-names, especially in the north and east. It survived as a surname from a personal name rather than from a trade or location, and later developed variants with an added initial H, such as Hosgood. The form is still best known in English-speaking countries, especially the United States and Britain.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
A medieval bearer named Osgod appears in English history, and the surname also helped generate nearby place-names such as Osgathorpe and Osgodby.
From the historical record
“MsaaWy Osgot{e)by in the 13th, cent. OSGOOD (A.-Scand.). The O.N. ^5^a«; = Divine Gaut [O.N. ds-, divine {dss, a god) -1^ the national name (S. Sweden) Gaut-r] was Anglicized Osgot, Osgod [O.E. 6s, a god] See the reference to Osgod Clapa under CI app. O'SHAUGHNESSY (Celt.) the Ir. O'Seachnas- aigh = Descendant of…”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)