Goldman
A masculine name of Germanic origin probably referring to golden hair.
Name Census estimates that about 7 living Americans carry the first name Goldman. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Goldman today is around 94 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Goldman births was 1920 (13 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Goldman. 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 Goldman is about 94 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Goldmans were born before 1942.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Goldman. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
7
~ 1 in 48,964,905 Americans
Peak year
1920
13 babies that year
Average age
94
years old
1940 SSA rank
#3,653
Tracked since 1910
Popularity
Goldman: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Goldman from the 1910s through to the 1940s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 45 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Goldman 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 Goldman during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Goldmans live
Origin
Meaning and history of Goldman
The name Goldman has its origins in the Germanic languages, derived from the Old High German words "gold" and "man," which together translate to "golden man" or "man with golden hair." This name first emerged during the Middle Ages across various regions of central and northern Europe.
One of the earliest known references to the name Goldman can be found in the Nibelungenlied, an epic poem from around the 13th century. In this work, a character named Goldemâr is mentioned, which is believed to be a variant spelling of Goldman. This suggests that the name was in use among Germanic peoples during this time period.
The name Goldman began to spread and gain popularity across different parts of Europe in the following centuries. Notable individuals who bore this name include Johannes Goldman, a German theologian and scholar who lived from 1583 to 1655, and Nikolaus Goldman, a Swiss mathematician and astronomer from the 16th century.
In the 17th century, the name gained recognition with the birth of Christian Friedrich Goldman, a German poet and playwright who lived from 1680 to 1711. His works, which included several plays and poetry collections, contributed to the cultural landscape of his time.
Moving into the 18th century, one of the most prominent figures with the name Goldman was Johann Gottlieb Goldman, a German explorer and naturalist. Born in 1724, he is best known for his expeditions to South America, where he documented numerous plant and animal species.
Another notable individual with the name Goldman was Carl Goldman, a German-American artist and illustrator who lived from 1862 to 1932. His intricate drawings and illustrations were widely published in magazines and books during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, earning him recognition in the art world.
These examples demonstrate the rich history and varied backgrounds of individuals who bore the name Goldman throughout different eras and regions, highlighting its enduring presence across different cultures and disciplines.
People
Goldman + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Goldman 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
Goldman: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Goldman?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 7 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Goldman 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 48,964,905 US residents.
Is Goldman a common name?
We classify Goldman as "Very Rare". It ranks above 23.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 104 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Goldman most popular?
The single biggest year for Goldman was 1920, when 13 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Goldman is about 94 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 Goldman in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Goldman a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Goldman 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 Goldman still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Goldman 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 Goldman 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 have Goldman as a first name?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.