Find out how popular the last name Goheen is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Goheen.

Goheen, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Goheen surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Goheen in America

Goheen is the 16395th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Goheen surname appeared 1,755 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Goheen.

We can also compare 2010 data for Goheen to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Goheen

The surname GOHEEN is believed to have originated in Ireland, specifically in the Ulster region. It is thought to derive from the Irish Gaelic word "gabhain," which means "small inlet" or "cove." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near a small inlet or cove.

The earliest recorded instances of the GOHEEN surname date back to the late 16th century in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is possible that the name was initially spelled in a variety of ways, such as "Gohene," "Goheen," or "Goheene," as spelling conventions were not standardized at the time.

In the Fiants of the Reign of Queen Elizabeth, a legal document from the late 16th century, there is a reference to a Patrick Gohene, who was granted land in County Antrim. This is one of the earliest known mentions of the GOHEEN surname in official records.

During the 17th century, the GOHEEN surname began to appear more frequently in Irish records, particularly in Ulster. One notable individual was John Goheen, who was born in County Antrim in 1640 and served as a Protestant minister in the Church of Ireland.

In the 18th century, the GOHEEN name spread beyond Ireland as some members of the family emigrated to other parts of the British Empire, including North America. William Goheen, born in County Antrim in 1725, was one of the earliest known GOHEEN settlers in the American colonies, settling in Pennsylvania in the mid-1700s.

Another prominent figure was Robert Goheen, born in Ireland in 1784, who became a successful businessman and landowner in Upper Canada (now Ontario, Canada) in the early 19th century. His descendants went on to become influential members of the community in the region.

In the 19th century, the GOHEEN surname continued to be associated with Irish heritage, but also gained a foothold in other parts of the world due to emigration. James Goheen, born in County Antrim in 1820, was a notable figure in the Australian gold rush of the 1850s, where he made his fortune as a prospector.

Throughout history, the GOHEEN surname has been carried by various individuals from diverse backgrounds, including clergymen, businessmen, pioneers, and prospectors, all linked by their Irish roots and the unique origin of their surname.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Goheen

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Goheen.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Goheen was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Goheen has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Goheen was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Goheen, please contact us.

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