Godwin Surname Meaning & Coat of Arms

Godwin? Think of it as Goodwin with a different pen. The name is usually explained as “Good friend”.

Godwin coat of arms

A coat of arms belongs to a particular family line rather than to everyone named Godwin, so the heraldry linked to Goodwin is a starting point, not an automatic right.

A variant of Goodwin

Godwin drops the “o” of Goodwin, a simplification that clerks often made. Before spelling was standardised, one family could appear under several forms. The same family of names includes Goodwine and Goodwyn.

22,628 Americans were listed as Godwin in the 2010 census. In Spain, the INE population register lists 157 people with Godwin as their first surname and 56 as their second. For the full story, order the Godwin surname pack.