Recorded as Gadney, Gidney, Godney, Gedney, and possibly others, this is an English surname. It is locational either from the village of Gedney in Lincolnshire, or the hamlet of Godney in the county of Somerset. Gedney was originally recorded as Gadenai in the famous Domesday Book of 1086, and translates as Gadd's island, whilst Godney is even older being first recorded in the year 971 a.d. as Godeneia, and translating as God's or possibly Good's island. Locational surnames were often "from" names. That is to say names given to people after they had left their original village to move somewhere else. Spelling over the centuries being at best erratic and local accents very thick, often lead to the creation of "sounds like" spellings. What we do know is that when and for whatever reason, people left their original homes, many would head for London, probably the only city that they had ever heard of. Early examples of recordings in the surviving church registers include Richard Gedney who married Rose Littlebury at Stainby, Lincolnshire, on June 3rd 1577, John Gadney also recorded as John Godney, a witness at the church of St Sepulchre, in the city of London on May 19th 1695, Kitty Gadney who married John Painter at St Georges chapel, Hanover square, Westminster, on April 18th 1805, and Sarah Gidney, christened at Pinchbeck in Lincolnshire, on July 21st 1815.

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