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

Gooden, 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 Gooden surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gooden in America

Gooden is the 3190th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gooden surname appeared 11,335 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Gooden.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gooden 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 Gooden

The surname Gooden is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "god" meaning "good" or "virtuous." It likely emerged as a descriptive surname in the Middle Ages, given to individuals who were considered good or virtuous in character or deeds.

The earliest recorded instances of the Gooden surname can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of England, such as Kent, Sussex, and Essex. It is believed that the name may have originally been spelled as "Goden" or "Godden" before evolving into its modern form.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive record of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror, there are several entries that may be related to the Gooden surname, including "Godwine" and "Godric," which were common names at the time and could have been the precursors to the Gooden name.

One notable historical figure with the Gooden surname was John Gooden (c. 1590-1658), an English Baptist minister and writer who was imprisoned for his religious beliefs during the English Civil War. He wrote several influential works, including "The Doctrine of Baptisms" and "The Christian's Prospective."

Another prominent individual was Sir Samuel Gooden (1688-1751), an English merchant and politician who served as the Governor of the Bank of England from 1741 to 1743. He was also a Member of Parliament for the City of London.

In the 18th century, Thomas Gooden (1718-1789) was a successful English architect who designed several notable buildings, including the Royal Naval College in Portsmouth and the Church of St. Mary the Virgin in Twickenham.

During the 19th century, James Gooden (1818-1895) was a British artist and engraver who specialized in landscape paintings and was elected a member of the Royal Society of British Artists.

Lastly, Dwight Gooden (born 1964), nicknamed "Dr. K," was a American professional baseball player who played for the New York Mets and several other teams in Major League Baseball. He was a four-time All-Star and won the National League Cy Young Award in 1985.

While the Gooden surname has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, and Australia, due to migration and immigration patterns over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gooden

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

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

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

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