Goins last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Goins

Derived from the medieval given name Guin or Gwyn, meaning "white, fair" in Welsh or Breton.

Goins, 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 Goins surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Goins in America

Goins is the 1574th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Goins surname appeared 22,837 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 8 people would have the surname Goins.

We can also compare 2010 data for Goins 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 1574 1498 4.95%
Count 22,837 21,872 4.32%
Proportion per 100k 7.74 8.11 -4.67%

The history of the last name Goins

The surname Goins is believed to have originated in England, with its roots traced back to the late 14th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "gān," meaning "to go," and could have been initially used as a nickname for someone who frequently traveled or went on journeys.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire in 1379, where it appears as "Goyns." This spelling variation suggests that the name may have been influenced by the Old French word "goyn," which meant "fool" or "simpleton."

During the 15th century, the name Goins began to appear in various historical records, including court rolls, parish registers, and tax records. In 1428, a certain John Goyns was mentioned in the Feet of Fines for Yorkshire, indicating the presence of the name in that region.

The Goins surname has also been associated with several place names in England, such as Goins Green in Essex and Goins Farm in Gloucestershire. These place names may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over time.

One notable individual with the Goins surname was John Goins, who lived in the late 16th century and was a renowned architect responsible for designing several notable buildings in London, including the Old Bailey courthouse.

Another prominent figure was Sir Thomas Goins (1592-1658), who served as a Member of Parliament during the English Civil War and was a staunch supporter of the Parliamentarian cause.

During the 17th century, the Goins surname spread across England, with records indicating families bearing the name in counties such as Lincolnshire, Derbyshire, and Nottinghamshire.

In the 18th century, a prominent member of the Goins family was William Goins (1713-1789), a wealthy merchant and landowner from Yorkshire who played a significant role in the development of the city of Leeds.

The 19th century saw the Goins surname gain prominence in other parts of the world, particularly in North America, as many individuals with this surname emigrated from England to the United States and Canada.

One notable American with the Goins surname was George Goins (1827-1905), a successful businessman and politician who served as the mayor of Louisville, Kentucky, from 1873 to 1877.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Goins

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

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 Goins was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 66.43% 15,171
Non-Hispanic Black Only 25.18% 5,750
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.32% 73
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 2.46% 562
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 3.37% 770
Hispanic Origin 2.25% 514

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 Goins has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 66.43% 68.35% -2.85%
Black 25.18% 25.16% 0.08%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.32% 0.32% 0.00%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 2.46% 2.28% 7.59%
Two or More Races 3.37% 2.42% 32.82%
Hispanic 2.25% 1.46% 42.59%

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 Goins was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

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If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Goins last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on December 11, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/goins-surname-popularity/.

"Goins last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/goins-surname-popularity/. Accessed 11 December, 2024

Goins last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/goins-surname-popularity/.

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