2000
#8,472
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,583
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.33
Rare Last name
Godin
A French occupational surname for a metalworker or smith, derived from the Old French word "godon" meaning "smith."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,819 Americans carry the last name Godin. That puts it at #9,371 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.11 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 89,750 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Godin surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Godin with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.8K
1 in 89,750
Census rank
#9,371
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,330 bearers of the surname Godin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.11 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9371st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Godin, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Godin
Among Census respondents with the surname Godin, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Godin bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Godin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.2% · 3,005
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 123
- Two or more races3.7% · 123
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 44
- Black or African American0.6% · 20
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for Godin
Godin appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#8,934
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,665
+82 bearers (+2.3%)
Per 100,000 1.24
Rank movement Down 462 places
2020
#9,371
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,330
-335 bearers (-9.1%)
Per 100,000 1.11
Rank movement Down 437 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,472 | 3,583 | 1.33 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,934 | 3,665 | 1.24 | +82 bearers (+2.3%) | Down 462 places |
| 2020 | #9,371 | 3,330 | 1.11 | -335 bearers (-9.1%) | Down 437 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Godin surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #8,934 | #9,371 | -4.9% |
| Count | 3,665 | 3,330 | -9.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.24 | 1.11 | -10.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Godin bearers went from 3,665 to 3,330 (-9.1% change). The surname moved down 437 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,934 to #9,371.
FAQ
Godin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Godin?
Name Census estimates that about 3,819 living Americans carry the surname Godin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 89,750 residents.
How common is Godin?
Godin ranks #9,371 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.11 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,330 people with the surname Godin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,819), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.11 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.11 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Godin.
Has Godin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Godin went from 3,665 recorded bearers to 3,330. That is a decrease of 335 (-9.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,934 to #9,371.
What does the Census say about the background of Godin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Godin, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Godin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.2% (3,005 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Godin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.2%), Hispanic (3.7%), Two or More Races (3.7%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Godin (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Godin mean?
A French occupational surname for a metalworker or smith, derived from the Old French word "godon" meaning "smith." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Godin (1.11 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Godin?
Want to know how many people are called Godin? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.