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

Godin, 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 Godin surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Godin in America

Godin is the 8934th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Godin surname appeared 3,665 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Godin.

We can also compare 2010 data for Godin 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 Godin

The surname Godin is of French origin, with roots dating back to the 12th century. It is a patronymic surname derived from the Old French personal name "Godewin," which itself is a compound of the Germanic elements "god" (good) and "wine" (friend).

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Godin can be found in various medieval records from the northern regions of France, particularly in Normandy and Picardy. These include mentions in the Livre des Bourgeois d'Arras, a 13th-century register of citizens from the city of Arras.

In the 14th century, the surname Godin appeared in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landowners and properties across England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. This suggests that individuals bearing this name had likely migrated from France to England during the Norman Conquest.

During the Middle Ages, the Godin family established itself as a prominent lineage in the region of Burgundy, France. One notable member was Jean Godin (c. 1350-1415), a wealthy merchant and landowner who served as the mayor of Dijon in the early 15th century.

In the 16th century, a branch of the Godin family settled in the Netherlands, where they became influential in the textile industry. Pieter Godin (1532-1594), a successful cloth merchant from Leiden, is considered one of the earliest recorded individuals with this surname in the Low Countries.

Another notable figure was André Godin (1616-1689), a French mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the development of celestial mechanics. He was a member of the French Academy of Sciences and served as the Royal Cartographer to King Louis XIV.

In the 18th century, the Godin name gained prominence in literary circles with the French author and philosopher Émilie Godin (1738-1810), known for her works on education and women's rights.

The 19th century saw the emergence of Louis Godin (1803-1876), a French utopian socialist and industrialist who founded the Familistère, an experimental communal living complex in Guise, France.

Throughout its history, the surname Godin has also been associated with various place names, such as Godinsart in Belgium and Goderville in Normandy, France, further highlighting its deep-rooted presence in these regions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Godin

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

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 Godin 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 Godin 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 Godin was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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