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

Goode, 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 Goode surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Goode in America

Goode is the 1605th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Goode surname appeared 22,356 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 Goode.

We can also compare 2010 data for Goode 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 Goode

The surname Goode is of English origin and has its roots in the Old English word "god," meaning good or virtuous. It likely emerged as a descriptive nickname for someone who was considered good-natured or of good character.

The earliest known record of the surname Goode dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Gode" in Cambridgeshire. This ancient document provides valuable insights into the distribution of surnames in England shortly after the Norman Conquest.

In the 13th century, the surname appeared in various forms, such as "le Gode" and "le Goode," reflecting the use of the Norman French definite article "le" before surnames. This practice was common during that period and signified the transition from descriptive nicknames to hereditary surnames.

One of the earliest recorded individuals bearing the surname was John Goode, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1230. These rolls were financial records maintained by the English Crown, providing evidence of the name's usage in the 13th century.

The name Goode has also been associated with various place names throughout England. For instance, the village of Goode in Somerset may have influenced the surname's development in that region. Additionally, the name could be linked to places like Goodmanham in Yorkshire or Goodrich in Herefordshire.

Notable historical figures with the surname Goode include:

1. Thomas Goode (c. 1597-1677), an English clergyman and author.
2. Francis Goode (1670-1728), an English lawyer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament.
3. Samuel Goode (1755-1830), an English philanthropist and founder of the Christian charity organization known as the Goode Trust.
4. Diana Goode (1925-2018), a British architect and academic.
5. John Goode (1829-1915), an American politician who served as the 23rd Governor of Virginia.

Throughout its history, the surname Goode has been subject to various spelling variations, including Good, Goud, and Gude, reflecting regional differences in pronunciation and record-keeping practices.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Goode

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

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

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

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