Golden
Derived from the radiant precious metal, symbolizing splendor and excellence.
Name Census estimates that about 2,173 living Americans carry the first name Golden. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 56.2% of registrations being male. The average person named Golden today is around 35 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Golden births was 1919 (128 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Golden. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Golden with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Golden sits in rare territory as a truly gender-neutral name, given to boys and girls in near-equal numbers.
People living today
2.2K
~ 1 in 157,733 Americans
Peak year
1919
128 babies that year
Average age
35
years old
2024 SSA rank
#2,673
Tracked since 1880
Census
Golden in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 1,772 people with the first name Golden, which placed it at #8,227 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#8,227
National first-name rank
People counted
1.8K
1,772 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.6
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
43.2% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Golden
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Golden is White at 43.2%. The next largest groups are Black (37.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (7.9%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Golden described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Golden at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White43.2% · 765
- Black or African American37.2% · 659
- Asian and Pacific Islander7.9% · 140
- Two or more races6.0% · 107
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 78
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 23
Gender
Gender distribution for Golden
Golden is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 5,133 total registrations, 2,886 (56.2%) were male and 2,247 (43.8%) were female.
Golden as a male name
- Ranked #2,673 in 2024
- 49 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2023 (67 births)
Golden as a female name
- Ranked #3,289 in 2024
- 48 female births in 2024
- Peak: 1919 (62 births)
2020 Census snapshot
The 2020 Census sex table shows Golden on both sides of the split. Of the 1,773 people counted with this name, 1,073 were male (60.5%) and 700 were female (39.5%).
Popularity
Golden: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Golden from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 814 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1920s peak, Golden remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Golden 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 Golden during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Goldens live
The SSA's state-level files cover 19 states and territories. West Virginia, Kentucky, California recorded the most babies named Golden, while Oklahoma, Ohio, Arkansas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 40 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Golden
The given name Golden traces its origins to the English language, derived from the word "gold," which refers to the precious metal known for its distinctive yellow color and luster. This name likely emerged during the Middle English period, from the 12th to the 15th century, when the word "gold" took its modern form.
The name Golden is believed to have been bestowed upon individuals to symbolize wealth, prosperity, and the desire for a life filled with abundance and success. In some cases, it may have been associated with golden-haired infants, whose hair color was seen as a sign of beauty and desirability.
While there are no direct references to the name Golden in ancient texts or religious scriptures, it is possible that it was inspired by the symbolic significance of gold in various cultures throughout history. For instance, in ancient Egyptian mythology, gold was associated with the sun god Ra, representing eternal life and divinity.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Golden was Golden Dicky (c. 1598-1638), an English actor and comedian known for his performances in plays by William Shakespeare and other notable playwrights of the time.
Another notable figure was Golden Hinman (1808-1875), an American businessman and philanthropist who made significant contributions to the development of the city of Binghamton, New York. He was instrumental in establishing several educational institutions and public works projects.
In the literary world, Golden Richards (1835-1891) was a British author and playwright who wrote several successful plays and novels during the Victorian era, including the popular work "The Maid of Honour."
The name Golden also found its way into the realm of sports, with Golden Graham (1920-1983), an American professional basketball player who played for several teams in the National Basketball Association (NBA) during the 1940s and 1950s.
More recently, Golden Tate (born 1988) is an American football wide receiver who has played for various teams in the National Football League (NFL), including the Seattle Seahawks and the Detroit Lions, earning recognition for his exceptional catching abilities.
These are just a few examples of individuals who carried the name Golden throughout history, showcasing its enduring presence and the diverse backgrounds and accomplishments of those who bore this distinctive moniker.
People
Golden + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Golden 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
Golden: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Golden?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2,173 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Golden 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 157,733 US residents.
Is Golden a common name?
We classify Golden as "Rare". It ranks above 94% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5,133 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Golden most popular?
The single biggest year for Golden was 1919, when 128 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Golden is about 35 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Golden in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 1,772 people with the name Golden, or 0.59 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #8,227 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Golden in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Golden?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Golden on both sides of the split. Of the 1,773 people counted with this name, 1,073 were male (60.5%) and 700 were female (39.5%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Golden?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Golden is White at 43.2%. The next largest groups are Black (37.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (7.9%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Golden most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Golden in the 2020 Census, accounting for 43.2% (765 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Golden in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Golden a male name?
Yes, 56.2% of people registered as Golden 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 Golden still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Golden 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 Golden 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.
How common is the name Golden?
See how many Americans are named Golden on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.