2000
#58,553
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 324
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.12
Very Rare Last name
Goodmanson
A habitational surname indicating the person hailed from a place named "Goodman's Town".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 400 Americans carry the last name Goodmanson. That puts it at #62,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.12 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 856,886 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Goodmanson 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
400
1 in 856,886
Census rank
#62,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
349
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 349 bearers of the surname Goodmanson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.12 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 62049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Goodmanson, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Goodmanson
The surname Goodmanson is an English patronymic name that originated in the 13th century. It derives from the given name "Goodman" which was a common nickname for a respectable, upstanding man. The suffix "-son" was later added to indicate "son of Goodman".
Goodmanson was prevalent in the Midlands region of England, particularly in counties like Warwickshire and Staffordshire. Early examples of the name can be found in tax records and parish registers from the 1300s onwards. Similar spellings included Goodmannesone, Godmanson, and Godmansone.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname is found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, where it is listed as "Richard Godmansone". Another early reference is in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield from 1379, which mentions "John Godmanson".
The surname Goodmanson has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. William Goodmanson (1570-1642) was an English clergyman and author who wrote a treatise on catechizing. John Goodmanson (1592-1667) was a Member of Parliament for Ripon during the English Civil War.
In the 17th century, the Goodmanson family established themselves in the village of Edgbaston, near Birmingham. Thomas Goodmanson (1634-1712) was a prominent landowner and benefactor in the area. His grandson, also named Thomas Goodmanson (1680-1753), served as the High Sheriff of Warwickshire.
Another bearer of the name was Sir John Goodmanson (1721-1790), a successful merchant and banker in London. He was knighted for his philanthropic efforts and served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1785.
While the surname Goodmanson is not as common today as it once was, it remains a part of England's rich onomastic heritage, with roots stretching back to the medieval era.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Goodmanson
Among Census respondents with the surname Goodmanson, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Goodmanson 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 Goodmanson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 320
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 12
- Two or more races2.9% · 10
- Black or African American0.9% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Goodmanson
Goodmanson 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
#59,017
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 343
+19 bearers (+5.9%)
Per 100,000 0.12
Rank movement Down 464 places
2020
#62,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 349
+6 bearers (+1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.12
Rank movement Down 3,032 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #58,553 | 324 | 0.12 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #59,017 | 343 | 0.12 | +19 bearers (+5.9%) | Down 464 places |
| 2020 | #62,049 | 349 | 0.12 | +6 bearers (+1.7%) | Down 3,032 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 Goodmanson 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 | #59,017 | #62,049 | -5.1% |
| Count | 343 | 349 | 1.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.12 | 0.12 | -2.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Goodmanson bearers went from 343 to 349 (+1.7% change). The surname moved down 3,032 positions in the national ranking, going from #59,017 to #62,049.
FAQ
Goodmanson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Goodmanson?
Name Census estimates that about 400 living Americans carry the surname Goodmanson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 856,886 residents.
How common is Goodmanson?
Goodmanson ranks #62,049 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.12 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 349 people with the surname Goodmanson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (400), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.12 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.12 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 Goodmanson.
Has Goodmanson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Goodmanson went from 343 recorded bearers to 349. That is an increase of 6 (+1.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #59,017 to #62,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Goodmanson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Goodmanson, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Goodmanson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (320 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Goodmanson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Hispanic (3.4%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Goodmanson (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 Goodmanson mean?
A habitational surname indicating the person hailed from a place named "Goodman's Town". 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 Goodmanson (0.12 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 common is the surname Goodmanson?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Goodmanson at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.