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

Goodall, 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 Goodall surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Goodall in America

Goodall is the 6526th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Goodall surname appeared 5,193 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Goodall.

We can also compare 2010 data for Goodall 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 Goodall

The surname Goodall is of English origin and can be traced back to the Anglo-Saxon period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "gode" meaning good and "hall" meaning a hall or manor house. Thus, the name likely referred to someone who lived in a large or fine hall.

The earliest recorded instance of the surname Goodall can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it was written as "Godehalle." This suggests that the name was already in use by the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066.

During the Middle Ages, the name was also spelled in various ways, such as Goodhall, Goodale, and Goodhall. These variations were likely due to regional dialects and the inconsistencies in spelling conventions at the time.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Goodall was Sir John Goodall, a knight who lived in the 13th century. He was mentioned in several historical records from that period, including the Pipe Rolls of 1230.

In the 16th century, the name appeared in the parish records of Derbyshire, where a family by the name of Goodall resided in the village of Brailsford. Thomas Goodall, born in 1520, was a prominent member of this family and served as a local magistrate.

Another notable figure with the surname Goodall was Jane Goodall (1923-present), the world-renowned British primatologist and anthropologist. She is best known for her groundbreaking research on chimpanzees in Tanzania's Gombe Stream National Park, which began in 1960.

Other individuals of historical significance with the surname Goodall include:

1. Howard Goodall (born 1958), a British composer and broadcaster.
2. Frederick Goodall (1822-1904), an English painter known for his depictions of Egyptian scenes.
3. Walter Goodall (1706-1766), an English botanist and author of "The Florist's Delight."
4. Thomas Goodall (1592-1651), an English clergyman and religious writer who served as the Rector of Cheshunt in Hertfordshire.

The surname Goodall has been found in various parts of England, including Yorkshire, Derbyshire, and Hertfordshire. It is also present in other English-speaking countries, such as the United States, Canada, and Australia, due to immigration from Britain.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Goodall

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

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

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

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