2000
#133,114
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Goodbrake
An occupational surname referring to someone involved in making or repairing brakes.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 110 Americans carry the last name Goodbrake. That puts it at #156,540 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,115,949 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Goodbrake 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.
Bearers in the US
110
1 in 3,115,949
Census rank
#156,540
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
96
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 96 bearers of the surname Goodbrake in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156540th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Goodbrake, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Goodbrake
The surname "GOODBRAKE" is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English words "god" meaning good and "bræc" meaning a piece of land cleared for cultivation or a brake, which was a thicket or dense woodland.
The name likely referred to someone who lived near or owned a particularly fertile or well-cultivated piece of land. It may have been used to distinguish individuals who were skilled farmers or landowners in a time when most people lived off the land.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1195, which mentions a Walter Godebrak. The Pipe Rolls were a series of financial records kept by the English Exchequer, providing valuable insight into the names and occupations of people living during that time.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various forms such as "Godebrok" and "Godbrok" in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire and Berkshire, respectively. These rolls were administrative records that documented landowners and their holdings.
Notable individuals with the surname "GOODBRAKE" include John Goodbrak, a merchant from London who is mentioned in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1334. These rolls were tax records that provide a snapshot of the economic activity and wealth distribution in England during that era.
Another early example is William Goodbroke, a cleric from Cambridgeshire who is referenced in the Clergy Subsidy Rolls of 1379. These rolls were records of taxes paid by the clergy to the Crown.
In the 15th century, the name appeared in the form "Goodbrak" in the Feet of Fines for Essex, which were legal records of land transactions. This suggests that the family may have held land or property in that county.
One noteworthy individual was Sir Thomas Goodbrak, a knight who served as a member of the English Parliament in the late 15th century. He was born around 1440 and is mentioned in various historical records from the period.
By the 16th century, the spelling had largely settled on the modern form "GOODBRAKE." A record from 1564 mentions a John Goodbrake, a landowner from Warwickshire who was involved in a legal dispute over property rights.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Goodbrake
Among Census respondents with the surname Goodbrake, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Goodbrake 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 Goodbrake surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.9% · 93
- Two or more races3.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Goodbrake
Goodbrake 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
#139,228
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+3 bearers (+2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,114 places
2020
#156,540
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 96
-24 bearers (-20.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 17,312 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #133,114 | 117 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #139,228 | 120 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.6%) | Down 6,114 places |
| 2020 | #156,540 | 96 | 0.03 | -24 bearers (-20.0%) | Down 17,312 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 Goodbrake 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 | #139,228 | #156,540 | -12.4% |
| Count | 120 | 96 | -20.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -19.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Goodbrake bearers went from 120 to 96 (-20.0% change). The surname moved down 17,312 positions in the national ranking, going from #139,228 to #156,540.
FAQ
Goodbrake surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Goodbrake?
Name Census estimates that about 110 living Americans carry the surname Goodbrake. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,115,949 residents.
How common is Goodbrake?
Goodbrake ranks #156,540 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 96 people with the surname Goodbrake. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (110), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Goodbrake.
Has Goodbrake become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Goodbrake went from 120 recorded bearers to 96. That is a decrease of 24 (-20.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #139,228 to #156,540.
What does the Census say about the background of Goodbrake?
Among Census respondents with the surname Goodbrake, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Goodbrake in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.9% (93 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Goodbrake appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.9%), Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Goodbrake (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 Goodbrake mean?
An occupational surname referring to someone involved in making or repairing brakes. 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 Goodbrake (0.03 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 many people have the surname Goodbrake?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.