Goebel
Goebel is a Germanic name meaning "little devil" or "little spirit".
Name Census estimates that about 4 living Americans carry the first name Goebel. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Goebel today is around 103 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Goebel births was 1900 (10 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Goebel. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Goebel is about 103 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Goebels were born before 1933.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Goebel. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
4
~ 1 in 85,688,585 Americans
Peak year
1900
10 babies that year
Average age
103
years old
1939 SSA rank
#3,259
Tracked since 1899
Popularity
Goebel: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Goebel from the 1890s through to the 1930s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 38 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1920s peak, Goebel remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Goebel by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Goebel during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Goebels live
Origin
Meaning and history of Goebel
The name Goebel is of German origin and has its roots in the Old High German word "gouwibald," which means "brave ruler" or "bold governor." This name was prevalent during the Middle Ages in various regions of present-day Germany.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Goebel can be traced back to the 12th century, where it appeared in historical records from the Rhineland region. The name's spelling evolved over time, with variations such as Göbel, Goebbel, and Goebbels being documented in different periods and regions.
In terms of historical references, the name Goebel does not seem to have any significant mentions in ancient texts or religious scriptures. However, it has been associated with notable individuals throughout history.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Goebel was Johann Goebel, a German composer and organist who lived from 1670 to 1723. He was known for his contributions to baroque music and served as the court organist in Weimar.
Another notable figure was Johann Gottlieb Göbel (1686-1758), a German theologian and philosopher. He was a prominent figure in the German Enlightenment and served as a professor at the University of Jena.
In the 19th century, Karl Goebel (1812-1893) was a German botanist and taxonomist who made significant contributions to the study of plant morphology and systematics.
One of the most infamous individuals with the name Goebel was Joseph Goebbels (1897-1945), the Nazi propaganda minister during the Third Reich. He played a crucial role in shaping public opinion and promoting the ideology of the Nazi regime.
More recently, Herta Müller (born 1953), a Romanian-German novelist and essayist, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2009. Her given name, Herta, is a diminutive form of the name Goebel.
These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who have borne the name Goebel or its variations. While the name's origins can be traced back to the Middle Ages in Germany, it has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including composers, academics, scientists, and, unfortunately, infamous political figures.
People
Goebel + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Goebel as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with G
Other first names starting with G with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Goebel: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Goebel?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 4 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Goebel going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 85,688,585 US residents.
Is Goebel a common name?
We classify Goebel as "Very Rare". It ranks above 6.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 70 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Goebel most popular?
The single biggest year for Goebel was 1900, when 10 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Goebel is about 103 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Goebel in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Goebel a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Goebel in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Goebel still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Goebel in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Goebel can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people are called Goebel?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.