Recorded in various spellings including Golder, Goulder and originally Goldere, this is an English surname. It has two possible origins, both Anglo-Saxon. Firstly, it may derive from the pre 7th century personal name "Goldheri", composed of the elements "gold", meaning gold, and "heri", an army. This unusual personal name appears in the Pipe Rolls of the county of Essex in the year 1197, when Henricus, given as being the son of Goldere, is so recorded. The first recording of the surname from this source seems to occur in the Tax Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1296, where one John Goldere is so listed. The second possible origin is locational. If so then this is from the place called Golder in the county of Oxfordshire. The placename is recorded as early as the year 987 a.d. in the charters known as "Saxonici Codex" in the year 897 a.d., and three hundred years later it appears in the Close Rolls of the county for 1236 as Goldor. The place name means "the slope where marigolds grew", and is derived from the Old English word "golde", meaning marigold, with "ora", a slope. Locational examples of the surname would appear to include Robert Golder who married Elizabeth Wullens at Stainton by Langworth, Lincolnshire on June 10th 1570, whilst William Goulder married Avis Jenkes at Grantham, also Lincolnshire on April 26th 1595. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Matthew de Goldore. This was dated 1275, in the "Hundred Rolls" of the county of Hertfordshire, during the reign of King Edward 1st of England, 1272 - 1307. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop," often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

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