2000
#1,553
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 21,226
First available Census row
Per 100,000 7.87
Uncommon Last name
Goode
Derived from the Middle English word "gode," meaning virtuous, honorable, or morally upright.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 24,105 Americans carry the last name Goode. That puts it at #1,675 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 7.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 14,219 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Goode 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 Goode with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
24K
1 in 14,219
Census rank
#1,675
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
7.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
21K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 21,021 bearers of the surname Goode in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 7.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1675th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Goode, the largest self-reported group is White at 59.3%. The next largest groups are Black (31.0%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Goode
Among Census respondents with the surname Goode, the largest self-reported group is White at 59.3%. The next largest groups are Black (31.0%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Goode 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 Goode surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White59.3% · 12,464
- Black or African American31.0% · 6,523
- Two or more races4.7% · 995
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 726
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 196
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 117
Timeline
Historical Census data for Goode
Goode 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
#1,605
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 22,356
+1,130 bearers (+5.3%)
Per 100,000 7.58
Rank movement Down 52 places
2020
#1,675
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 21,021
-1,335 bearers (-6.0%)
Per 100,000 7.03
Rank movement Down 70 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,553 | 21,226 | 7.87 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,605 | 22,356 | 7.58 | +1,130 bearers (+5.3%) | Down 52 places |
| 2020 | #1,675 | 21,021 | 7.03 | -1,335 bearers (-6.0%) | Down 70 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 Goode 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 | #1,605 | #1,675 | -4.4% |
| Count | 22,356 | 21,021 | -6.0% |
| Per 100K | 7.58 | 7.03 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Goode bearers went from 22,356 to 21,021 (-6.0% change). The surname moved down 70 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,605 to #1,675.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Goode
FAQ
Goode surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Goode?
Name Census estimates that about 24,105 living Americans carry the surname Goode. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 14,219 residents.
How common is Goode?
Goode ranks #1,675 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 7.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 7 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 21,021 people with the surname Goode. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (24,105), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 7.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 7.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 7 of them to have the surname Goode.
Has Goode become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Goode went from 22,356 recorded bearers to 21,021. That is a decrease of 1,335 (-6.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,605 to #1,675.
What does the Census say about the background of Goode?
Among Census respondents with the surname Goode, the largest self-reported group is White at 59.3%. The next largest groups are Black (31.0%) and Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Goode in the 2020 Census, accounting for 59.3% (12,464 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Goode appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (59.3%), Black (31.0%), Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Goode (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 Goode mean?
Derived from the Middle English word "gode," meaning virtuous, honorable, or morally upright. 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 Goode (7.03 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 Goode?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.