2000
#2,346
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,152
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.25
Uncommon Last name
Godinez
A Spanish habitational surname indicating someone from any of the various places called Godínez in Spain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 24,137 Americans carry the last name Godinez. That puts it at #1,673 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 7.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 14,200 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Godinez 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.
Bearers in the US
24K
1 in 14,200
Census rank
#1,673
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
7.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
21K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 21,049 bearers of the surname Godinez in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 7.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1673rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Godinez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.7%. The next largest groups are White (3.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Godinez
The surname Godinez is of Spanish origin, derived from the personal name Godino, which itself is a Spanish form of the Germanic name Goding or Goten. The name Godinez likely emerged in the 8th or 9th century during the Reconquista, when Christian territories in the Iberian Peninsula were gradually reclaimed from the Moors.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Godinez can be found in medieval Spanish documents from the 12th and 13th centuries, particularly in regions such as Castile, León, and Extremadura. Some historical records suggest that the name may have originated in the town of Godínez, located in the province of Zamora, Castile and León.
In the 14th century, a notable figure bearing the Godinez surname was Juan Godínez, a Spanish nobleman and military commander who fought in the wars against the Moors during the reign of Alfonso XI of Castile (1312-1350). Another historical reference is found in the 16th century, when Alonso Godínez de Millis (1564-1634), a Spanish Catholic priest and writer, authored several religious works and served as a chaplain to King Philip III of Spain.
During the 17th century, the Godinez surname was also present in the Spanish colonies of the Americas. One example is Juan Godínez, a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Guatemala in the early 1500s. In the 18th century, José Godínez y Paz (1723-1790) was a Spanish-born painter and engraver who worked in colonial Mexico.
Another notable figure was Miguel Godínez (1875-1949), a Mexican politician and military leader who served as the governor of the state of Chihuahua from 1920 to 1924. He played a significant role in the Mexican Revolution and the establishment of the post-revolutionary government.
While the Godinez surname is primarily associated with Spain and its former colonies, it has also spread to other parts of the world through migration and family ties. However, it remains most prevalent in Spanish-speaking countries and communities with historical connections to Spain.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Godinez
Among Census respondents with the surname Godinez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.7%. The next largest groups are White (3.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Godinez 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 Godinez surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino94.7% · 19,934
- White3.8% · 807
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 143
- Two or more races0.4% · 78
- Black or African American0.3% · 59
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 28
Timeline
Historical Census data for Godinez
Godinez 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
#1,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 21,640
+7,488 bearers (+52.9%)
Per 100,000 7.34
Rank movement Up 681 places
2020
#1,673
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 21,049
-591 bearers (-2.7%)
Per 100,000 7.04
Rank movement Down 8 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,346 | 14,152 | 5.25 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,665 | 21,640 | 7.34 | +7,488 bearers (+52.9%) | Up 681 places |
| 2020 | #1,673 | 21,049 | 7.04 | -591 bearers (-2.7%) | Down 8 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 Godinez 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 | #1,665 | #1,673 | -0.5% |
| Count | 21,640 | 21,049 | -2.7% |
| Per 100K | 7.34 | 7.04 | -4.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Godinez bearers went from 21,640 to 21,049 (-2.7% change). The surname moved down 8 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,665 to #1,673.
FAQ
Godinez surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Godinez?
Name Census estimates that about 24,137 living Americans carry the surname Godinez. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 14,200 residents.
How common is Godinez?
Godinez ranks #1,673 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 7.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 7 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 21,049 people with the surname Godinez. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (24,137), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 7.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 7.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 7 of them to have the surname Godinez.
Has Godinez become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Godinez went from 21,640 recorded bearers to 21,049. That is a decrease of 591 (-2.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,665 to #1,673.
What does the Census say about the background of Godinez?
Among Census respondents with the surname Godinez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.7%. The next largest groups are White (3.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.7%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Godinez in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.7% (19,934 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Godinez appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (94.7%), White (3.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.7%). 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 Godinez (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 Godinez mean?
A Spanish habitational surname indicating someone from any of the various places called Godínez in Spain. 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 Godinez (7.04 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 many people share the surname Godinez?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.