Guild of One-Name Studies

One-name studies, Genealogy

Is your surname here?

    • 2,134 members
    • 2,052 studies
    • 7,292 surnames

Retained profile for the former
Gush One-Name Study

This study is no longer registered with the Guild, but this profile page has been retained at the member's request. Please note that neither officers nor members of the Guild are able to answer any questions about this study.

About the study

The gathering of information on the name Gush commenced in the late 1980's with the basic listings of births, marriages, deaths, probates and census entries. The study was registered in January 2004 and although set aside for several years is now active again.

Variant names

The pronunciation of the name usually appears to rhyme with 'rush' though those in our branch of the family insist on a pronunciation to rhyme with 'bush'.  Current research has shown the variant Gushe appears mainly in early documents dating from 15c to 17c, but the recently added variant Gusch, often spelt Güsch, occurs from 16c to the present day, giving the study a broader base.

Name origin

Possible areas of origin, range from the Netherlands to Austria, though the earliest example of the name traced to date is contained in a lease from a John Gush of Bristol dated 1422 held at the Bristol Archives.  Many of those with the variation Gusch originate in central Europe, though an English based family chose to use this spelling in the mid to late 19c, hence the widening of this study.

Historical occurrences of the name

An interesting holder of the name is the Victorian portrait painter William Gush (1813-1888) whose painting of his brother, Frederick Aaron Gush (1817-1857), is featured above. The research of his life and works is proving to be a fascinating sideline.

Name frequency

With less than 300 entries in the 1881 census I believe the name fits into the 'scarce category'.

Distribution of the name

Several references to Gushe, many of whom were Quakers, have been traced to the Bristol, south Gloucestershire and north Somerset area in the 16c.  One branch also settled in south east Devon at the beginning of the 17c and many of the present day holders of the name descend from this branch.  At the time of the 1881 census instances of the name are found in all the counties along the south coast of England, in London, with a scattering in Yorkshire and central Scotland.  Descendants have subsequently settled worldwide.

Data

All entries for births, marriages, deaths, probates and census entries have been collected and the marriages are held in the Guild Archive. Numerous searches have been carried out at The National Archives and similar establishments with many more searches in progress making this an ongoing and absorbing project.

General Search Results

Occurrences of the surname Gush in the Guild Indexes
(Click on the number to view the search results in each index. Indexes marked by * are only accessible by logged in Guild members.)
  • Global Marriages (public)  145
  • Global Marriages (members)* 147
  • Inscriptions Index  1
  • Modern Newspaper Index  4
  • Probate Index* 38
  • Study materials for the study Gush* 2
  • References to the name Gush in the Guild Journal  1

Other Guild Websites

You may find our other Guild websites of interest:

Contact Us

Postal address:
c/o Treasurer,
3 Windsor Gardens,
Herne Bay,
Kent, CT6 8FE. UK.
Call us free on:
UK: 0800 011 2182
US & Canada: 1-800-647-4100
Australia: 1800 305 184

Follow Us