This interesting surname is of Anglo-Saxon origin, and derives from the Olde English pre 7th Century "gold" meaning "gold", plus "spink", synonymous with "finc" meaning "finch". The name was originally given as a nickname to one thought to resemble the goldfinch in some way, perhaps to one endowed with a beautiful singing voice. The surname is first recorded in the early half of the 16th Century (see below). In 19th Century London Marriage Registers the name is particularly well recorded. On December 25th 1816, George Goldspink and Martha Reynolds were married in St. Dunstan's in the East, and on March 29th 1835, Mary Goldspink married a James Cotes at St. Alban's, Wood Street. Sarah Ann, daughter of Mary Goldspink, was christened at Halifax, Yorkshire, on February 4th 1838, while Hanah Rebecca, daughter of William and Sarah Goldspink, was christened at Rosedale, Yorkshire, on February 20th 1866. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Robert Goldspynk, which was dated 1524, in the "Subsidy Rolls of Suffolk", during the reign of King Henry V111, known as "Bluff King Hal", 1509 - 1547. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.