2000
#5,545
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,756
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.13
Rare Last name
Godsey
Derived from the Germanic personal name "Godsige," meaning "God's victory" or "victorious in God."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,287 Americans carry the last name Godsey. That puts it at #6,025 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.83 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 54,518 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Godsey 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
6.3K
1 in 54,518
Census rank
#6,025
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,483 bearers of the surname Godsey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.83 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6025th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Godsey, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Black (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Godsey
The surname Godsey has its origins in England, with records of the name dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "god" meaning "good" and "ey" meaning "island," suggesting that the name may have originated from someone who lived on a good island or a particularly fertile piece of land.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Godsey can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Worcestershire in 1199, where a William Godseye is mentioned. This suggests that the name had already been well-established in the region by that time.
The name Godsey is closely related to other surnames like Godwin, Godfrey, and Godard, all of which share the same "god" prefix, indicating a connection to the idea of goodness or virtue. It's also worth noting that the name appears to have had various spellings throughout history, such as Godseye, Godsey, and Godsy.
In the 13th century, a Robert Godsey is recorded as being a landowner in the village of Aylsham, Norfolk. This record provides evidence of the name's presence in different regions of England during that period.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Godsey was John Godsey, who was born around 1475 in Warwickshire, England. He is mentioned in local records as a prosperous farmer and landowner in the area.
Another notable figure with the Godsey surname was Sir Thomas Godsey, who lived in the 16th century. He was a prominent merchant and alderman in the City of London and served as the Sheriff of London in 1583.
During the 17th century, the Godsey name gained further recognition with the birth of William Godsey in 1621 in Lincolnshire. He was a noted scholar and author who wrote several works on theology and philosophy.
In the 18th century, the name Godsey was associated with the village of Godsey, located in Wiltshire, England. This place name likely derived from the surname itself, indicating that the Godsey family had a significant presence in that area.
One of the more famous individuals with the Godsey surname was Sir Edward Godsey, born in 1786 in Somerset. He was a distinguished military officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars and was awarded the prestigious Order of the Bath for his bravery and leadership.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Godsey
Among Census respondents with the surname Godsey, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Black (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Godsey 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 Godsey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.7% · 4,755
- Two or more races4.6% · 253
- Black or African American4.6% · 252
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 158
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 46
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 19
Timeline
Historical Census data for Godsey
Godsey 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
#5,914
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,826
+70 bearers (+1.2%)
Per 100,000 1.98
Rank movement Down 369 places
2020
#6,025
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,483
-343 bearers (-5.9%)
Per 100,000 1.83
Rank movement Down 111 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,545 | 5,756 | 2.13 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,914 | 5,826 | 1.98 | +70 bearers (+1.2%) | Down 369 places |
| 2020 | #6,025 | 5,483 | 1.83 | -343 bearers (-5.9%) | Down 111 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 Godsey 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 | #5,914 | #6,025 | -1.9% |
| Count | 5,826 | 5,483 | -5.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.98 | 1.83 | -7.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Godsey bearers went from 5,826 to 5,483 (-5.9% change). The surname moved down 111 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,914 to #6,025.
FAQ
Godsey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Godsey?
Name Census estimates that about 6,287 living Americans carry the surname Godsey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 54,518 residents.
How common is Godsey?
Godsey ranks #6,025 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.83 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,483 people with the surname Godsey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,287), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.83 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.83 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Godsey.
Has Godsey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Godsey went from 5,826 recorded bearers to 5,483. That is a decrease of 343 (-5.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,914 to #6,025.
What does the Census say about the background of Godsey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Godsey, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Black (4.6%). 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 Godsey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.7% (4,755 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Godsey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.7%), Two or More Races (4.6%), Black (4.6%). 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 Godsey (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 Godsey mean?
Derived from the Germanic personal name "Godsige," meaning "God's victory" or "victorious in God." 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 Godsey (1.83 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 Godsey?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Godsey at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.