Gut - Meno

Recorded as Gut, Guthe, Zoud, Zgud, Gutowski, and the female Gutowska, and possibly others, this is a Polish surname, but one arguably of German origins. It is said to originate from the word 'guthe' meaning good, or even god, and as such was probably a medieval nickname or name of endearment for a 'good person.' It is also a truism that given the humour of the Middle Ages, it may well have meant the complete reverse! Unfortunately without being present when the name was 'adopted' we have no way of telling for certain. Compound surnames commencing 'Good' or in this case 'Gut,' were very popular in all countries of Germanic influence in the language. Early examples include Gutkind (Good child), or Gutenberg (good hill), and in Dutch, Goedkoop, meaning a good person. Examples of the surname recording taken from surviving Polish church registers, and sadly many have not survived, include Andreas Zgud Podstolice, Krakowski, on January 8th 1779, and Marceli Antoni Gutowski and his wife Elenora, at Warsaw on December 20th 1890.