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A few notes which I hope will spark a more extended discussion:
In the UK BIDGOOD is the most common form today. With roots likely in the County of Devon. The less common BEDGOOD may have come originally from Somerset or Dorset, though a few BEDGOOD families are found in Devon in C18. Other variants like BIDGGOOD, BEGOOD etc are likely the results of local clergyman trying to write down names pronounced in strong dialect by people unable to read and write.
From these counties in the West Country the families appear to have spread out into other parts of Britain. This movement started in C17 or earlier, and increased in C19 when many families were leaving the traditional land based jobs such as Agricultural Labourer for the new work opening up in the larger cities like Bristol, Cardiff, and London.
At the same time immigration to USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand became attractive, to seek better work and living opportunities. This was especially the case in C19 when major advertising by the steamship companies, and overseas governments extolled the opportunities in the new lands. But emmigration started much earlier.
There is a possibility that BEDGOOD and BIDGOOD both derive from the Norman French, who came over after the Battle of Hastiongs in 1066 and settled in various parts of England though this is not proven. BIGOOD or BYGOOD are early forms found occasionally in C16, which may reflect the original French spelling.
I seem to remember that a BYGOD or BYGOOD was the builder of one of the early castles in South Wales at Chepstow.
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