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

Goodnight, 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 Goodnight surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Goodnight in America

Goodnight is the 9155th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Goodnight surname appeared 3,564 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Goodnight.

We can also compare 2010 data for Goodnight 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 Goodnight

The surname Goodnight is an English surname originating in the late 15th century. It is derived from the Old English words "god" meaning good, and "niht" meaning night, likely referring to someone who worked or traveled at night. The earliest recorded spelling of the name is Godenyhte, found in the Poll Tax Returns of Yorkshire in 1379.

In the 16th century, the name appeared in various county records across England, including the Parish Registers of Wiltshire in 1543, where one John Goodnight was listed. Other early spellings included Goodnighte and Gudnight. During this period, the name was predominantly found in the southern and central regions of England.

The Goodnight surname is also found in records from the 17th century, such as the Marriage Licenses of London in 1618, where a William Goodnight was mentioned. In the 18th century, the name appears in the Parish Records of Suffolk, where a Henry Goodnight was born in 1723.

Notable individuals with the surname Goodnight include Thomas Goodnight, an English merchant born in 1654, who established a successful trading company in Bristol. Another prominent figure was Sarah Goodnight, a British writer and poet born in 1785, known for her works on social reform.

In the 19th century, the Goodnight surname spread to other parts of the world, including North America. One of the earliest recorded instances in the United States is that of John Goodnight, a farmer born in 1820 in Pennsylvania. Another notable individual was Charles Goodnight, a cattle rancher and pioneer born in 1836 in Illinois, who played a significant role in the development of the American West.

Other historical figures with the Goodnight surname include William Goodnight, a British soldier who served in the Napoleonic Wars and was awarded the Military General Service Medal for his service in 1848. In the 20th century, there was Robert Goodnight, an American businessman and philanthropist born in 1918, who made significant contributions to higher education and community development.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Goodnight

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

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

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

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