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

Goodale, 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 Goodale surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Goodale in America

Goodale is the 10265th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Goodale surname appeared 3,140 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 Goodale.

We can also compare 2010 data for Goodale 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 Goodale

The surname Goodale has its origins in England, dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to be a locational name, derived from the Old English words "god," meaning good, and "hale," meaning remote or secluded place, likely referring to a pleasant and isolated dwelling or area.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1202, where it appears as "de Godehale." This entry suggests that the name may have originated from a specific place called Goodale or Godhale, though the exact location remains uncertain.

In the 13th century, the name appeared in various forms, such as "Godalman" and "Godelman," reflecting the influence of regional dialects and scribal variations in spelling. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 mention a William de Godehale, providing further evidence of the name's usage during this period.

By the 14th century, the surname had evolved into its more recognizable modern form, with entries in records like the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327, where it appears as "Goddale." This suggests that the name had spread to different regions of England.

Notable individuals bearing the Goodale surname throughout history include John Goodale (c. 1592-1664), an early settler in Massachusetts Bay Colony, and Richard Goodale (1668-1738), a prominent merchant and landowner in Virginia. Later, William Goodale (1792-1862) served as a United States Representative from Maine.

Other notable figures with this surname include George Lincoln Goodale (1839-1923), a renowned botanist and co-founder of Harvard University's Botanical Garden, and Stephen Lincoln Goodale (1836-1904), a Union Army officer during the American Civil War.

While the exact origin of the Goodale surname remains somewhat uncertain, its history can be traced back to medieval England, where it likely originated as a locational name describing a pleasant, secluded place.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Goodale

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

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!