An English surname, the Gould name comes from the Old English term ‘golde’ which means gold, a golden hair person and a worker in gold. The spelling variations for Gould include Gilder and Gold. In Ireland the Gould name is spelled Goold. All across England and into Wales the Gould surname is found. The counties with the highest population of Gould families are Wiltshire, Essex, Somerset, Devon, Hampshire, Lancashire, Yorkshire, Cheshire, Dorset, Warwickshire, Staffordshire, Derbyshire and the city of London. In Scotland there are many Gould families across most of the country. The counties with the grater populations are Angus, Aberdeenshire, Fife, Midlothian and Lanarkshire. Within the United States the Gould family name originated in Maine, Massachusetts, New York, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Vermont, Pennsylvania and Ohio. In the 20th century most with the Gould name live in the state of New York. Famous: Sandra Gould (actress and comic), Bob Gould (professional Welsh rugby player), Gordon Gould (inventor of the laser), Jay Gould (19th century railroad developer), Morton Gould (music composer, conductor and arranger), Glenn Gould (musician from Canada), Benjamin A. Gould (astronomer), Nathaniel Gould (journalist form England), Billy Gould (musician), Rev. Daniel Gould (established the Gould Academy in Bethel, Maine), Jay Gould II (champion tennis player), Thomas R. Gould (sculptor), Elliott Gould (movie film actor), Robbie Gould (professional football player) and Steven Gould (science fiction writer).