Recorded in several spellings including Gaulder, Golder, Golders, and Goulder, this is an English surname. It has two possible origins, both Anglo-Saxon. Firstly, it may derive from the pre 7th century abstract personal name "Goldhere", which is composed of the elements "gold", meaning gold, and "heri", an army. This popular personal name appears in the Pipe Rolls of the county of Essex in 1197 with that of Henricus filius Goldere, the first recording of the surname being in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1296, when John Goldere is listed. The second possible origin is locational, from a place called Golder in Oxfordshire. This placename is first recorded as early as 987 a.d. as Goldhora, and in the Close Rolls of the county in 1236 as "Goldor". The place name means the "slope where marigolds grew". William Golder was an early emigrant to the New World colonies, leaving London on the ship "George" in August 1635, bound from Virginia. Elizabeth Goulder was recorded at St Mathews church, Friday Street, in the city of London, on February 12th1643, and John Gaulder and his wife Mercy, at St Mary Whitechapel, Stepney, on Christmas Day 1803.The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Matthew de Goldore. This was dated 1275, in the Hertfordshire Hundred Rolls, 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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