2000
#929
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 34,430
First available Census row
Per 100,000 12.76
Uncommon Last name
Good
An English surname derived from the Old English word "gód," meaning "good" or "virtuous."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 39,463 Americans carry the last name Good. That puts it at #996 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 11.51 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 8,685 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Good 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 Good with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
39K
1 in 8,685
Census rank
#996
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
11.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
34K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 34,414 bearers of the surname Good in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 11.51 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 996th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Good, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.9%. The next largest groups are Black (5.1%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Good
The surname "GOOD" is an English name derived from the Old English word "gōd", meaning "good" or "prosperous". The name originated in various regions of England, particularly in the southern and eastern counties, during the medieval period.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname "GOOD" can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appears in various spellings, such as "Gode" and "Goud", indicating its long-standing presence in the English language.
The surname "GOOD" often referred to individuals with positive qualities or those who were considered virtuous or morally upright. In some cases, it may have been a descriptive name given to someone with a kind or charitable nature. Alternatively, it could have been an occupational name for a person who excelled in a particular trade or craft.
Notable historical figures with the surname "GOOD" include Sir John Good (c. 1350-1412), a prominent English soldier and diplomat who served under King Richard II and King Henry IV. Another significant bearer of the name was Thomas Good (c. 1609-1678), an English clergyman and writer who published works on various subjects, including theology and natural philosophy.
In the 16th century, the surname "GOOD" was found in various regions of England, as evidenced by records such as the Subsidy Rolls of Cambridgeshire (1524) and the Subsidy Rolls of Norfolk (1568). These records list individuals with the surname "GOOD" who were subject to taxation during that period.
The surname "GOOD" has also been associated with several place names in England, such as Goodmanham in East Yorkshire, which was derived from the Old English "Gōdmundes ham" (meaning "Gōdmund's homestead"). Similarly, the village of Goodworth Clatford in Hampshire was originally known as "Godwurde" in the Domesday Book.
Other notable individuals with the surname "GOOD" include Mary Good (c. 1672-1731), an English Quaker minister and writer, and John Mason Good (1764-1827), an English writer, physician, and translator who authored several works on medicine and literature.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Good
Among Census respondents with the surname Good, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.9%. The next largest groups are Black (5.1%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Good 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 Good surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.9% · 29,921
- Black or African American5.1% · 1,770
- Two or more races3.5% · 1,189
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 1,139
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 262
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 133
Timeline
Historical Census data for Good
Good 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
#981
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 35,446
+1,016 bearers (+3.0%)
Per 100,000 12.02
Rank movement Down 52 places
2020
#996
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 34,414
-1,032 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 11.51
Rank movement Down 15 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #929 | 34,430 | 12.76 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #981 | 35,446 | 12.02 | +1,016 bearers (+3.0%) | Down 52 places |
| 2020 | #996 | 34,414 | 11.51 | -1,032 bearers (-2.9%) | Down 15 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 Good 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 | #981 | #996 | -1.5% |
| Count | 35,446 | 34,414 | -2.9% |
| Per 100K | 12.02 | 11.51 | -4.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Good bearers went from 35,446 to 34,414 (-2.9% change). The surname moved down 15 positions in the national ranking, going from #981 to #996.
FAQ
Good surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Good?
Name Census estimates that about 39,463 living Americans carry the surname Good. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 8,685 residents.
How common is Good?
Good ranks #996 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 11.51 per 100,000 residents, which is about 12 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 34,414 people with the surname Good. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (39,463), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 11.51 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 11.51 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 12 of them to have the surname Good.
Has Good become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Good went from 35,446 recorded bearers to 34,414. That is a decrease of 1,032 (-2.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #981 to #996.
What does the Census say about the background of Good?
Among Census respondents with the surname Good, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.9%. The next largest groups are Black (5.1%) and Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Good in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.9% (29,921 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Good appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.9%), Black (5.1%), Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Good (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 Good mean?
An English surname derived from the Old English word "gód," meaning "good" or "virtuous." 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 Good (11.51 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 common is the surname Good?
See how many Americans have the surname Good on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.