2000
#10,208
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,897
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.07
Rare Last name
Goggins
An Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Gógáin, meaning "descendant of Gógán," a personal name of uncertain origin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,134 Americans carry the last name Goggins. That puts it at #11,085 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.91 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 109,366 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Goggins 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 Goggins with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.1K
1 in 109,366
Census rank
#11,085
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,733 bearers of the surname Goggins in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.91 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11085th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Goggins, the largest self-reported group is White at 47.9%. The next largest groups are Black (43.1%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Goggins
The surname Goggins has its origins in the British Isles, specifically in England and Wales. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "gog," which means "to go" or "to move." This suggests that the name may have been a descriptive one, referring to someone who moved frequently or was a traveler.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Goggins can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Gogginges." This entry indicates that the name was already established in England by the late 11th century. Over time, the spelling evolved to its current form, Goggins.
In the 13th century, records show a Richard Goggyn residing in Gloucestershire, England. This is one of the earliest known individuals to bear the name Goggins or a similar variation. Another notable figure was John Gogyn, born in 1387 in Shropshire, England, who served as a member of the local gentry.
During the 16th century, the Goggins surname was found in various parts of England, including Yorkshire, where a family named Goggins resided in the village of Ripon. One notable member of this family was Richard Goggins, born in 1543, who was a successful merchant and landowner.
In the 17th century, the name Goggins appeared in several parish records in Wales, particularly in the counties of Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire. One prominent individual was Thomas Goggins, born in 1612 in Pembrokeshire, who was a wealthy landowner and served as a magistrate.
As the centuries progressed, the Goggins surname spread across the British Isles and beyond, with many families emigrating to other parts of the world, including North America and Australia. One notable figure from this period was William Goggins, born in 1764 in Ireland, who served as a captain in the British Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars.
While the surname Goggins is not among the most common in the English-speaking world, it has a rich history that can be traced back to the medieval period in England and Wales. The name's origins likely stem from a descriptive term related to movement or travel, reflecting the lives of its earliest bearers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Goggins
Among Census respondents with the surname Goggins, the largest self-reported group is White at 47.9%. The next largest groups are Black (43.1%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Goggins 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 Goggins surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White47.9% · 1,310
- Black or African American43.1% · 1,177
- Two or more races4.9% · 134
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 101
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Goggins
Goggins 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
#10,979
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,897
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.98
Rank movement Down 771 places
2020
#11,085
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,733
-164 bearers (-5.7%)
Per 100,000 0.91
Rank movement Down 106 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,208 | 2,897 | 1.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,979 | 2,897 | 0.98 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 771 places |
| 2020 | #11,085 | 2,733 | 0.91 | -164 bearers (-5.7%) | Down 106 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 Goggins 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 | #10,979 | #11,085 | -1.0% |
| Count | 2,897 | 2,733 | -5.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.98 | 0.91 | -6.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Goggins bearers went from 2,897 to 2,733 (-5.7% change). The surname moved down 106 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,979 to #11,085.
FAQ
Goggins surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Goggins?
Name Census estimates that about 3,134 living Americans carry the surname Goggins. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 109,366 residents.
How common is Goggins?
Goggins ranks #11,085 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.91 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 2,733 people with the surname Goggins. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,134), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.91 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.91 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 Goggins.
Has Goggins become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Goggins went from 2,897 recorded bearers to 2,733. That is a decrease of 164 (-5.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,979 to #11,085.
What does the Census say about the background of Goggins?
Among Census respondents with the surname Goggins, the largest self-reported group is White at 47.9%. The next largest groups are Black (43.1%) and Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Goggins in the 2020 Census, accounting for 47.9% (1,310 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Goggins appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (47.9%), Black (43.1%), Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Goggins (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 Goggins mean?
An Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Gógáin, meaning "descendant of Gógán," a personal name of uncertain origin. 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 Goggins (0.91 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 Goggins?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.