Find out how popular the last name Godbee is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Godbee.

Godbee, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Godbee surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Godbee in America

Godbee is the 21568th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Godbee surname appeared 1,210 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Godbee.

We can also compare 2010 data for Godbee to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Godbee

The surname Godbee is believed to have originated in England, likely in the late medieval period or the Renaissance era. It is thought to be a variant spelling of the surname "Godby," which itself is derived from the Old Norse personal name "Guðbjartr," meaning "good bright" or "shining with God's light."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Godbee can be found in the Hearth Tax records of Lincolnshire from the late 17th century, where a John Godbee is listed as a resident of Grimsby. This suggests that the name may have roots in the East Midlands region of England.

The name Godbee appears to have been relatively uncommon throughout much of its history, with only a handful of notable individuals bearing the surname. One such individual was Richard Godbee, a 17th-century English clergyman who served as the Rector of Denton in Norfolk from 1661 until his death in 1675.

Another early recorded instance of the name comes from the parish registers of St. Mary's Church in Redgrave, Suffolk, where a Thomas Godbee is listed as having been baptized in 1679. This suggests that the name may have had a presence in the East Anglian region of England during the late 17th century.

In the 18th century, the name appears to have spread somewhat, with records indicating the presence of Godbees in various parts of England, including London, Somerset, and Devon. One notable bearer of the name from this period was William Godbee, a merchant and ship owner from Bristol who was active in the latter half of the 18th century.

As the 19th century dawned, the Godbee name continued to be relatively rare, with pockets of families bearing the surname found in various parts of southern England. One noteworthy individual from this era was John Godbee, a printer and publisher from London who was active in the early 1800s.

While never particularly widespread, the name Godbee has persisted into modern times, with small numbers of families bearing the surname found in various parts of the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries. Despite its rarity, the name's origins and historical journey serve as a reminder of the rich tapestry of surnames that have emerged from the diverse linguistic and cultural influences that have shaped the English language over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Godbee

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Godbee.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Godbee was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Godbee has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Godbee was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Godbee, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!