Godward
A surname referring to one who traveled towards or lived near a church or temple.
According to the 2000 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 137 Americans carry the last name Godward. That puts it at #144,908 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,501,856 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Godward 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.
Godward appeared in the 2000 Census surname file but was not included in the published 2020 file. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames with at least 100 recorded bearers, so this usually means the name fell below that threshold.
Bearers in the US
137
1 in 2,501,856
Census rank
#144,908
2000 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Godward in its 2000 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144908th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Godward, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Godward
The surname Godward has its origins in England, dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to derive from Old English personal names that combine "god," meaning "God," and "weard," meaning "guardian" or "protector." This suggests that the name originally signified "God's guardian" or "protector of God."
The name was most commonly found in regions such as Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, areas known for their rich linguistic history and evolving dialects. Similar spellings in historical records include Godwin, Godric, and Godfry, which all share the same root in the Old English word "god."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which documented landowners and notable citizens of the time. The name appears inconsistently, reflecting the evolving nature of surname records during the period, but mentions of individuals with names like Godwin and Godric provide critical links to the development of the Godward surname.
Famous people bearing the surname Godward include John William Godward (1861-1922), an English painter from the Victorian neoclassicist movement. His work was distinguished by its romantic portrayal of ancient Mediterranean life. Another notable figure is George Godward (1830-1903), who served as an influential figure in the Yorkshire wool industry during the 19th century, helping to modernize textile manufacturing methods.
Further back, records from the year 1273 mention a Humphrey Godward in the Hundred Rolls of Lincolnshire, indicating the surname's presence in the region during the medieval period. Another early example includes Richard Godward, listed in the 1379 Poll Tax records of Yorkshire, which help trace the surname's geographic and social mobility through the centuries.
A more recent historical figure is the chemist Elinor Godward, born in 1894 and known for her pioneering research in early 20th century British science circles. Another noted personality, Thomas Godward, an early 19th-century inventor, made substantial contributions to agricultural machinery, enhancing farming efficiency in rural England.
The surname Godward, with its deep historical roots and significant cultural impact, provides a fascinating insight into the social, linguistic, and genealogical evolution of English surnames. Each individual bearing the name contributed uniquely to its rich history, providing a tapestry of interconnected lives and legacies.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Godward
Among Census respondents with the surname Godward, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Godward bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2000 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 Godward surname at the time of the 2000 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.4%
- Hispanic or Latino7.6%
- Unknown or suppressed0.9%
FAQ
Godward surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Godward?
Name Census estimates that about 137 living Americans carry the surname Godward. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,501,856 residents.
How common is Godward?
Godward ranks #144,908 in the 2000 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2000 Census file counted 105 people with the surname Godward. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (137), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Godward.
Has Godward become more or less common over time?
Godward appears here with 2000 Census data. When additional surname-file years are available for this name, Name Census uses them to show longer-term movement in rank and bearer count.
What does the Census say about the background of Godward?
Among Census respondents with the surname Godward, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.6%). These figures come from the 2000 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 Godward in the 2000 Census, accounting for 91.4%.
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Godward appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2000 file are White (91.4%), Hispanic (7.6%).
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Not necessarily. Godward appears here with 2000 Census data, while the latest surname file loaded on Name Census is 2020. When a surname drops below the Census publication threshold, older rows can still be kept for historical reference even if the name no longer appears in the newest file.
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 Godward mean?
A surname referring to one who traveled towards or lived near a church or temple. 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 2000 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 Godward (0.04 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 have the surname Godward?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.