Family name origins & meanings
- English : from the Middle English personal name Godewyn, Old English Gōdwine, composed of the elements gōd ‘good’ + wine ‘friend’.
- This name was brought independently to New England by many bearers from the 17th century onward. William Goodwin was one of the founders of Hartford, CT, (coming from Cambridge, MA, with Thomas Hooker) in 1635.