2000
#39,052
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 531
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.20
Very Rare Last name
Goffney
An Anglicized spelling of the French surname Goffin, a patronymic meaning "descendant of Goffin."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 616 Americans carry the last name Goffney. That puts it at #43,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.18 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 556,419 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Goffney 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
616
1 in 556,419
Census rank
#43,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
537
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 537 bearers of the surname Goffney in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.18 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 43339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Goffney, the largest self-reported group is Black at 86.4%. The next largest groups are White (4.3%) and Hispanic (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Goffney
The surname Goffney originates from England, emerging in the late 12th century. It is derived from the Old French personal name "Goffrey," which itself stems from the Germanic elements "gau" (territory) and "frid" (peace), suggesting the name's bearer was a peaceful guardian of a particular territory.
One of the earliest recorded references to the Goffney name appears in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1195, where a William Goffney is mentioned. In the 13th century, the Goffney surname took root in various parts of southern England, including Wiltshire, Dorset, and Somerset.
The Goffney name can be traced back to the village of Goffney, near Honiton in Devon, which existed as early as the 11th century. This place name likely contributed to the surname's evolution, as individuals from that area adopted "Goffney" as their family name.
In the 14th century, a notable bearer of the Goffney surname was Sir John Goffney (c. 1320-1385), a prominent landowner and member of Parliament from Warwickshire. He played a role in the Hundred Years' War and was knighted for his military service.
Another historical figure with the Goffney name was Thomas Goffney (1550-1629), a clergyman who served as the rector of St. Michael's Church in Coventry during the late 16th and early 17th centuries.
During the English Civil War in the 17th century, Captain Robert Goffney (1610-1675) fought for the Parliamentarian forces and was commended for his bravery in several battles.
In the 18th century, the Goffney family gained prominence in the county of Essex, where a branch of the family owned substantial landholdings. Notable members included Sir William Goffney (1725-1802), a respected magistrate and philanthropist.
As the centuries passed, variations of the Goffney surname emerged, including Goffnay, Gofney, and Gouffney. Despite these spelling variations, the name's origins and meaning remained rooted in its English heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Goffney
Among Census respondents with the surname Goffney, the largest self-reported group is Black at 86.4%. The next largest groups are White (4.3%) and Hispanic (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Goffney 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 Goffney surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American86.4% · 464
- White4.3% · 23
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 23
- Two or more races3.9% · 21
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Goffney
Goffney 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
#39,052
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 564
+33 bearers (+6.2%)
Per 100,000 0.19
Rank movement No rank change
2020
#43,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 537
-27 bearers (-4.8%)
Per 100,000 0.18
Rank movement Down 4,287 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #39,052 | 531 | 0.20 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #39,052 | 564 | 0.19 | +33 bearers (+6.2%) | No rank change |
| 2020 | #43,339 | 537 | 0.18 | -27 bearers (-4.8%) | Down 4,287 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 Goffney 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 | #39,052 | #43,339 | -11.0% |
| Count | 564 | 537 | -4.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.19 | 0.18 | -5.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Goffney bearers went from 564 to 537 (-4.8% change). The surname moved down 4,287 positions in the national ranking, going from #39,052 to #43,339.
FAQ
Goffney surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Goffney?
Name Census estimates that about 616 living Americans carry the surname Goffney. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 556,419 residents.
How common is Goffney?
Goffney ranks #43,339 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.18 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 2020 Census file counted 537 people with the surname Goffney. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (616), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.18 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.18 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 Goffney.
Has Goffney become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Goffney went from 564 recorded bearers to 537. That is a decrease of 27 (-4.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #39,052 to #43,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Goffney?
Among Census respondents with the surname Goffney, the largest self-reported group is Black at 86.4%. The next largest groups are White (4.3%) and Hispanic (4.3%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Goffney in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.4% (464 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Goffney appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (86.4%), White (4.3%), Hispanic (4.3%). 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 Goffney (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 Goffney mean?
An Anglicized spelling of the French surname Goffin, a patronymic meaning "descendant of Goffin." 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 Goffney (0.18 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 Goffney?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.