Godwin is an English-language surname with Anglo-Saxon origins. It means '' God's friend'' and is thus equivalent to Theophilus,

Jedediah Jedediah ( he, יְדִידְיָה) or Jedidiah is a Hebrew male given name, which is derived from the name ''Yedidyah'', meaning "beloved of Jah". In the Hebrew Bible, Jedidiah (''Jeddedi'' in Brenton's Septuagint Translation) was the second or ...

, Amadeus and Reuel. .However, the word "Godwin" can also mean "helper of mankind"

People

Politics and governance

Abraham Godwin Abraham Godwin (July 16, 1763 – October 5, 1835) was a representative in the New Jersey General Assembly, former fife major in the American Revolutionary War, and brigadier general during the War of 1812. Personal life Abraham Godwin was b ...

(1763–1835), New Jersey General Assembly 1802–1806, Elector for Andrew Jackson 1828 * Abraham Godwin Jr. (1791–1849), New Jersey General Assembly 1821–1832, took vote to D.C. for Presidential Election 1840 * Godwin, Earl of Wessex (died 1053), earl in England under the Danish king Cnut the Great *

Hannibal Lafayette Godwin Hannibal Lafayette Godwin (November 3, 1873 – June 9, 1929) was a Democratic U.S. Congressman from North Carolina between 1907 and 1921. Education and career Born near Dunn in Harnett County, North Carolina, Godwin attended common school ...

(1873–1929), North Carolina Congressman * Mary Wollstonecraft, later Mary Godwin (1759–1797), English author of ''A Vindication of the Rights of Woman'' * Mills E. Godwin Jr. (1914–1999), Governor of Virginia * Richard Godwin (1922–2005), First Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics *

William Godwin William Godwin (3 March 1756 – 7 April 1836) was an English journalist, political philosopher and novelist. He is considered one of the first exponents of utilitarianism and the first modern proponent of anarchism. Godwin is most famous for ...

(1756–1836), English political philosopher

Religion

* Godwin of Stavelot, English saint * Francis Godwin (1562–1633), English bishop and historian * Godwin (bishop), bishop of Lichfield – 1017 *

Jeff Godwin Jeff Godwin is a Christian fundamentalist preacher and author from Bloomington, Indiana, USA. He is best known for his numerous books critical of both secular and Christian rock music. Godwin is a former drug addict and rock musician. He claims that ...

, American fundamentalist, former rock musician * Thomas Godwin (bishop) (1517–1590), bishop of Bath and Wells

Arts and entertainment

* Catherine Grace Godwin (1798–1845), Scottish poet * Edward William Godwin (1833–1886), English architect * Elizabeth Ayton Godwin (1817–1889), English hymnwriter, religious poet * Fay Godwin (1931–2005), British photographer * Frank Godwin (1889–1959), American illustrator, creator of ''Connie'' comic strip * Frank Godwin (film producer) (1917–2012), English film producer * Gail Godwin (born 1937), American novelist and short story writer * George Stanley Godwin (1889–1974), English author *

, American fundamentalist, former rock musician * Joscelyn Godwin (born 1945), English musicologist and translator * Mary Godwin (artist) (1887–1960), British artist * Mary Shelley (née Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin; 1797–1851), English author of ''Frankenstein'' * Parke Godwin (1929–2013), American writer * Parke Godwin (journalist) (1816–1904), American journalist * Paul Godwin (1902–1982), Polish violinist and bandleader * Peter Godwin (born 1957), Zimbabwean author and journalist * Peter Godwin (singer), English new wave musician *

Robert Godwin Robert Godwin (born 1958 in England) is a British author who has written about rock music and spaceflight. Early in his career he was a rock music impresario who managed a venue in Burlington, Ontario and founded Griffin Music. Personal infor ...

(born 1958), British author * Ted Godwin (1933–2013), Canadian artist * Tom Godwin (1915–1980), American science fiction author

Science

* George Godwin (1813–1888), British architect, town planner and journalist * Harry Godwin (1901–1985), English botanist * Henry Haversham Godwin-Austen (1834–1923), English geologist and ornithologist *

Linda M. Godwin Linda Maxine Godwin Ph.D. (born July 2, 1952) is an American scientist and retired NASA astronaut. Godwin joined NASA in 1980 and became an astronaut in July 1986. She retired in 2010. During her career, Godwin completed four space flights and ...

(born 1952), American astronaut *

Robert Alfred Cloynes Godwin-Austen Robert Alfred Cloyne Godwin-Austen FRS (17 March 1808 – 25 November 1884) was an English geologist. Godwin-Austen was the eldest son of Sir Henry E. Austen. He was educated at Oriel College, Oxford, of which he became a fellow in 1830. He afte ...

(1808–1884), English geologist

Sport

Godwin Igwebuike Godwin Eric Igwebuike (born September 10, 1994) is an American football running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Northwestern, Igwebuike was an undrafted free agent in 2018. ...

(born 1994), American football player * Billy Godwin (born 1964), American college baseball coach * Chris Godwin (born 1996), American football player *

John Godwin (baseball) John Godwin (born March 10, 1877, in East Liverpool, Ohio; died May 5, 1956, in E. Liverpool, Ohio) nicknamed "Bunny", was a Major League Baseball player for the Boston Americans The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball t ...

(1877–1956), American baseball player * Neville Godwin (born 1975), South African tennis player *

Terry Godwin Terry Tyrome Godwin (born October 23, 1996) is an American football wide receiver who a member of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football at Georgia and was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in t ...

(born 1996), American football player *

Tommy Godwin (footballer) Thomas Fergus Godwin (20 August 1927 – 21 August 1996), commonly referred to as Tommy Godwin, was an Irish footballer who played for shamrock Rovers, Leicester City and Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic. On 21 September 1949, together with Con ...

(1927–1996), Irish footballer *

Tommy Godwin (cyclist, born 1912) Thomas Edward Godwin (1912–1975) was an English cyclist who held the world cycling record for most miles covered in a year () and the fastest completion of . In 1939, Godwin entered the Golden Book of Cycling as the greatest long-distance ri ...

(1912–1975), English cyclist and world record holder for miles covered in a year * Tommy Godwin (cyclist, born 1920) (1920–2012), British track cyclist active during the 1940s and 1950s *

Verdi Godwin Verdi Godwin BEM (11 February 1926 – 1 December 2013) was an English footballer who played as a forward in the Football League for Blackburn Rovers, Manchester City, Mansfield Town, Middlesbrough, Grimsby Town, Brentford and Stoke City. Afte ...

(1926–2013), English footballer *

Wayne Godwin Wayne Robert Godwin (born 13 March 1982) is an English former professional rugby league footballer who played as a in the 2000s and 2010s. Godwin played for the Castleford Tigers ( Heritage № 779), the Wigan Warriors ( Heritage № 971), H ...

(born 1982), English rugby player

Military

Captain Abraham Godwin Abraham Godwin (November 23, 1724 – February 9, 1777) was a carpenter from New York City and one of the first American settlers in the area of Paterson, New Jersey, earlier known as Acquackanonk. He built the Godwin Hotel, and opened a stage coa ...

(1724–1777), Captain of Marines on the USS ''Lady Washington'' in the American Revolutionary War *

Bill Godwin Brigadier W. A. "Bill" Godwin was a Rhodesian army officer. He served with the Rhodesian African Rifles (RAR) during the British colonial era and was mentioned in despatches for service during the Malayan Emergency. After Rhodesia's 1965 unil ...

, Rhodesian brigadier *

James Godwin James Basil "Gib" Godwin III (born February 6, 1951), a retired Rear Admiral (upper half) of the United States Navy, was the Program Executive Officer – Enterprise Information Systems of the Department of the Navy. His responsibilities in ...

, American admiral *

James Gowing Godwin James Gowing Godwin (12 March 1923 – 2 May 1995) was a pilot of the Royal New Zealand Air Force during the Second World War, who subsequently became a prisoner of war. After the end of the war, as a captain in the Australian Army, he became an ...

(1923–1995), New Zealand military aviator *

John Godwin (Royal Navy officer) Temporary Lieutenant John Godwin, RNVR (13 December 1919 – 2 February 1945) was a British naval officer. Born and brought up in Argentina, he took part in a raid named Operation Checkmate on Axis shipping near Haugesund, north of Stavanger, N ...

(1919–1945), British Naval Reserve officer during World War II

Other people

* Becky Godwin (1954–1968), daughter of Virginia Governor Godwin, killed by lightning * Glen Stewart Godwin (born 1958), American murderer, former FBI Ten Most Wanted fugitive * Mike Godwin (born 1956), American lawyer, created Godwin's law of Internet discussions (mentioning Hitler)

Fictional characters

* Neil Godwin, from ''The Office''

Places

Godwin, North Carolina Godwin is a town in Cumberland County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 139 at the 2010 census. History Godwin was named after Isaac William Godwin, a pioneer settler. Geography Godwin is located in northeastern Cumberland County ...

Other uses

* '' General Godwin'', convict ship * "Godwin" (Korede Bello song), a song by Nigerian artiste Korede Bello *

Godwin's law Godwin's law, short for Godwin's law (or rule) of Nazi analogies, is an Internet adage asserting that as an online discussion grows longer (regardless of topic or scope), the probability of a comparison to Nazis or Adolf Hitler approaches 1. P ...

on comparison with Nazis, named after American lawyer Mike Godwin