Garwood History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Garwood family

The surname Garwood was first found in Norfolk where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. After the Battle of Hastings in 1066, William, Duke of Normandy, having prevailed over King Harold, granted most of Britain to his many victorious Barons. It was not uncommon to find a Baron, or a Bishop, with 60 or more Lordships scattered throughout the country. These he gave to his sons, nephews and other junior lines of his family and they became known as under-tenants. They adopted the Norman system of surnames which identified the under-tenant with his holdings so as to distinguish him from the senior stem of the family. After many rebellious wars between his Barons, Duke William, commissioned a census of all England to determine in 1086, settling once and for all, who held which land. He called the census the Domesday Book, 1 indicating that those holders registered would hold the land until the end of time. Hence, conjecturally, the surname is descended from the tenant of the lands of Gaywood, held by Bishop William, who was recorded in the Domesday Book census of 1086.

Early History of the Garwood family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Garwood research. Another 65 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1206, 1273, 1366, 1650 and 1680 are included under the topic Early Garwood History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Garwood Spelling Variations

Before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Sound was what guided spelling in the Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Garwood family name include Gaywood, Gaywode, Gaiwood, Gawood, Kaywood, Caywood, Geywood and many more.

Early Notables of the Garwood family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Richard Gaywood (fl. 1650-1680), an English engraver noted for his etchings of birds and animals and his portraits. He "was...
Another 27 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Garwood Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Garwood Ranking

In the United States, the name Garwood is the 12,422^nd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2

Garwood migration to the United States +

To escape the political and religious chaos of this era, thousands of English families began to migrate to the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. The passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe; however, those who made the voyage safely were encountered opportunities that were not available to them in their homeland. Many of the families that reached the New World at this time went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of the United States and Canada. Research into various historical records has revealed some of first members of the Garwood family to immigrate North America:

Garwood Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Charles Garwood, who arrived in New England in 1737 3
Joseph Garwood, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1773 3

Garwood Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

James Garwood, aged 73, who arrived in New York in 1812 3
Capt. Garwood, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 3

Garwood migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Garwood Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. William Garwood, English convict who was convicted in Norfolk, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Eden" on 27th August 1836, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 4
Mr. Christmas Garwood, English convict who was convicted in Norwich, Norfolk, England for 15 years, transported aboard the "Canton" on 20th September 1839, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 5
George Garwood, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Isabella Watson" in 1846 6
Susan Garwood, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Isabella Watson" in 1846 6

Contemporary Notables of the name Garwood (post 1700) +

Julia Elizabeth Garwood (1944-2023), née Murphy, an American writer of over twenty-seven romance novels with over thirty-five million copies of her books in print, she had at least 24 New York Times Bestsellers
Julie Garwood, American writer of over twenty-seven romance novels and sold over thirty-five million copies, she has had at least 24 New York Times Bestsellers
William Garwood (1884-1950), American stage and silent film actor and director
William Lockhart Garwood (1931-2011), United States federal judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
William Garwood, American politician, Member of New Jersey State Senate from Burlington County, 1863-64 7
Martha W. Garwood, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from South Dakota, 1944 7
Leon A. Garwood, American Democratic Party politician, Chair of Macomb County Democratic Party, 1963-67 7
John T. Garwood, American politician, Member of New Jersey State House of Assembly from Salem County, 1879-81 7
H. M. Garwood, American politician, Member of Texas State House of Representatives 74th District, 1887-88 7
Dorothy Garwood, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Washington, 1924 7
... (Another 5 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Garwood family +

HMS Cornwall

Anthony Herbert Garwood (d. 1942), British Marine aboard the HMS Cornwall when she was struck by air bombers and sunk; he died in the sinking 8

Citations +

Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 20th October 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eden
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/canton
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) ISABELLA WATSON 1846. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1846IsabellaWatson.htm
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 18) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Force Z Survivors Crew List HMS Cornwall (Retrieved 2018, February 13th) - Retrieved from https://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listcornwallcrew.html#A