Recorded in a wide range of spellings, some of which are quite extraordinary and seem to have little in common with each other, and that may well be the case. These spellings include Gatty, Getttie, Getty, Giddy, Goady, Gowdy, and Gudahy. It is considered that on balance this is a surname of Scottish origins, but with some spellings only found in Northern Ireland or even England. It would seem to derive from the pre 10th century Gaelic personal name Mag Eitigh, which in Scotland is Dalgetty or Dalgety and originating from an estate known as the lands of Dalgety in either Fife or Aberdeen. In the late 16th century many members of the family seem to have left either for England or Ireland, and certainly in that country they were given land taken mainly from the catholic church. The other variant spellings developed through the interaction of the original Gaelic language and local dialects of both the Scots and the native Irish, with the presentation in registers and records of what was regarded as the English spelling forms. The first known recording of the name in any spelling is believed to be that of Hercules Delgaty of the parish of Brechin, Scotland, in 1594, although the records of Ireland are less forthcoming, many being destroyed in the blowing up by the IRA of the Dublin Public Records Office in 1922. However we do have the recordings of William Giddy at the church of St Dunstans in the East, Stepney, city of London, on October 18th 1598, James Gettie of Antrim, in 1685, and Anne Guddiah, the daughter of Henry Guddiah of Dublin, when she was christened there in 1702. Paul Getty (1892 - 1976), was probably the richest man in the world, owning over 100 oil companies.

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