Gowdy

This famous Scottish name is one of the variant forms of the surname Goldie, and reflects the phonetic spelling of the popular pronunciation of that name. Goldie is it self a diminutive form of the surname Gold, which is derived from the Old English pre 7th Century personal name "Gold(a)" or "Golde", in part a byname from "gold", the metal, gold, and in part a short form of various compound names with "gold" as the first element. Gold as a surname is recorded in 1296 when Adam Gold, bailiff of Montrose, rendered homage to Edward 1 of England. The variant surnames Goudie, Gowdie, Gowdy and Goudy are first recorded in Edinburgh from 1598, but an earlier, northern form appears in Shetland (see below). One Robert Gowdie is listed as a writer in Edinburgh in 1643, and John Gawdie "matriculated" as a member of the Company of Merchants of Edinburgh in 1687. The marriage of James Gowdy and Agnes Smith was recorded in Borthwick, Midlothian, on June 12th 1704. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Gawane Gadie, which was dated 1576, in Dunrossness, Shetland, during the reign of King James V1, known as "The King of Scotland", 1567 - 1625. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.