Godwin

Godwin is an English-language surname with Anglo-Saxon origins. It means God's friend and is thus equivalent to Theophilus, Jedediah, Amadeus and Reuel.

However, the word "Godwin" can also mean "helper of mankind"

Surname or only known name

House of Godwin

Ancestry of the Godwins
Godwin, Earl of Wessex (died 1053), earl in England under the Danish king Cnut the Great

Politics and governance

Abraham Godwin (1763–1835), New Jersey General Assembly 1802–1806, Elector for Andrew Jackson 1828
Abraham Godwin Jr. (1791–1849), New Jersey General Assembly 1821–1832, took vote to D.C. for Presidential Election 1840
Hannibal Lafayette Godwin (1873–1929), North Carolina Congressman
Mary Wollstonecraft, later Mary Godwin (1759–1797), English author of A Vindication of the Rights of Woman
Mills E. Godwin Jr. (1914–1999), Governor of Virginia
Richard Godwin (1922–2005), First Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics
William Godwin (1756–1836), English political philosopher

Religion

Godwin of Stavelot, English saint
Francis Godwin (1562–1633), English bishop and historian
Godwin (bishop), bishop of Lichfield c. 1003 – 1017
Jeff Godwin, American fundamentalist, former rock musician
Thomas Godwin (bishop) (1517–1590), bishop of Bath and Wells

Arts and entertainment

Catherine Grace Godwin (1798–1845), Scottish poet
Edward William Godwin (1833–1886), English architect
Elizabeth Ayton Godwin (1817–1889), English hymnwriter, religious poet
Fay Godwin (1931–2005), British photographer
Frank Godwin (1889–1959), American illustrator, creator of Connie comic strip
Frank Godwin (film producer) (1917–2012), English film producer
Gail Godwin (born 1937), American novelist and short story writer
George Stanley Godwin (1889–1974), English author
Jack Godwin (1904-1973), English conjurer and magician
Jeff Godwin, American fundamentalist, former rock musician
Joscelyn Godwin (born 1945), English musicologist and translator
Mary Godwin (artist) (1887–1960), British artist
Mary Shelley (née Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin; 1797–1851), English author of Frankenstein
Parke Godwin (1929–2013), American writer
Parke Godwin (journalist) (1816–1904), American journalist
Paul Godwin (1902–1982), Polish violinist and bandleader
Peter Godwin (born 1957), Zimbabwean author and journalist
Peter Godwin (singer), English new wave musician
Robert Godwin (born 1958), British author
Ted Godwin (1933–2013), Canadian artist
Tom Godwin (1915–1980), American science fiction author

Science

George Godwin (1813–1888), British architect, town planner and journalist
Harry Godwin (1901–1985), English botanist
Henry Haversham Godwin-Austen (1834–1923), English geologist and ornithologist
Linda M. Godwin (born 1952), American astronaut
Robert Alfred Cloynes Godwin-Austen (1808–1884), English geologist

Sport

Billy Godwin (born 1964), American college baseball coach
Chris Godwin (born 1996), American football player
Jack Godwin (born 1904), British Olympic rower
John Godwin (baseball) (1877–1956), American baseball player
Neville Godwin (born 1975), South African tennis player
Terry Godwin (born 1996), American football player
Tommy Godwin (footballer) (1927–1996), Irish footballer
Tommy Godwin (cyclist, born 1912) (1912–1975), English cyclist and world record holder for miles covered in a year
Tommy Godwin (cyclist, born 1920) (1920–2012), British track cyclist active during the 1940s and 1950s
Verdi Godwin (1926–2013), English footballer
Wayne Godwin (born 1982), English rugby player

Military

Captain Abraham Godwin (1724–1777), Captain of Marines on the USS Lady Washington in the American Revolutionary War
Bill Godwin, Rhodesian brigadier
Elizabeth Godwin, British army captain and first female officer of The Life Guards
James Godwin, American admiral
James Gowing Godwin (1923–1995), New Zealand military aviator
John Godwin (Royal Navy officer) (1919–1945), British Naval Reserve officer during World War II

Other people

Becky Godwin (1954–1968), daughter of Virginia Governor Godwin, killed by lightning
Glen Stewart Godwin (born 1958), American murderer, former FBI Ten Most Wanted fugitive
Mike Godwin (born 1956), American lawyer, created Godwin's law of Internet discussions (mentioning Hitler)

Given name

Godwin Abbe (1949–2024), Nigerian politician
Godwin Emefiele, Nigerian banker
Godwin Igwebuike (born 1994), American football player
Godwin Olofua, Nigerian badminton player
Godwin Samararatne, Sri Lankan teacher