Surname Variants

Today most Goacher families use the spellings, Goacher Goatcher, Gocher, or Goucher in Britain, Australia, New Zealand and Canada, and particularly Gotcher in the USA.  But in the past there have often been wide variations in the spelling of the name.

As many early records were dependent on the literacy of the scribe and the dialect of the informant, enormous variations have been found.  For example, positive links have been made to later Goacher families for spellings such as Gaulthier and Gotyere in Sussex, Goldcher and Goldeher in Stafford, Goulcher and Gouldsher in Wolverhampton, Goocher in Leicestershire and Gaucher, Geaucher and Gausher in Derbyshire.  Try speaking each name aloud!

The chart below gives an indication of the distribution of the surname variants in the UK in 1881 and 2002:

1881 Census Map generated from Surname Atlas by Archer Software