Goucher

This curious and interesting surname has two possible interpretations; firstly, it may be of early medieval English origin, and developed from a nickname for someone thought to have a particularly cheerful appearance, a good aspect. The derivation for this source is from the Middle English "gode", good, with "chere", from the Old French "chier", face. Secondly, the surname may be of medieval Scottish or English origin, deriving from a nickname for an elderly and venerable gentleman, from, in England, the Middle English "gode", good, wuth "sir(e)", a form of title of respect, and in Scotland, from the Old Scots "gudsyr, gudschir" (pronounced "gutscher"); both English and Scottish terms were generally taken to mean "grandfather". The modern forms of the surname from either source range from Goodsir and Goucher to Goacher and Gutcher. One Thomas Goudsyre was recorded in the Calendar of Plea and Memoranda Rolls of London of 1384. Examples of the surname from Church Registers include: William Goacher, a christening witness at St. Martin in the Fields, London, on November 16th 1680, and Edward Goacher, married to Mary Newberry at Coleorton, Leicestershire, on September 12th 1743. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Willelmus (dictus) Godechere, which was dated 1343, in the "Exchequer Rolls of Scotland", during the reign of King David 11 of Scotland, 1329 - 1371. 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.