2000
#8,692
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,480
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.29
Rare Last name
Goodnight
A surname derived from the Middle English phrase "gode niht," used as a nickname for someone of a cheerful disposition.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,889 Americans carry the last name Goodnight. That puts it at #9,225 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.13 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 88,134 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Goodnight 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
3.9K
1 in 88,134
Census rank
#9,225
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,391 bearers of the surname Goodnight in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.13 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9225th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Goodnight, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.9%. The next largest groups are Black (5.6%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Goodnight
Among Census respondents with the surname Goodnight, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.9%. The next largest groups are Black (5.6%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Goodnight 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 Goodnight surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.9% · 2,845
- Black or African American5.6% · 190
- Two or more races4.8% · 163
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 121
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 58
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Goodnight
Goodnight 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
#9,155
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,564
+84 bearers (+2.4%)
Per 100,000 1.21
Rank movement Down 463 places
2020
#9,225
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,391
-173 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 1.13
Rank movement Down 70 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,692 | 3,480 | 1.29 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,155 | 3,564 | 1.21 | +84 bearers (+2.4%) | Down 463 places |
| 2020 | #9,225 | 3,391 | 1.13 | -173 bearers (-4.9%) | 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 Goodnight 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 | #9,155 | #9,225 | -0.8% |
| Count | 3,564 | 3,391 | -4.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.21 | 1.13 | -6.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Goodnight bearers went from 3,564 to 3,391 (-4.9% change). The surname moved down 70 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,155 to #9,225.
FAQ
Goodnight surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Goodnight?
Name Census estimates that about 3,889 living Americans carry the surname Goodnight. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 88,134 residents.
How common is Goodnight?
Goodnight ranks #9,225 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.13 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,391 people with the surname Goodnight. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,889), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.13 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.13 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Goodnight.
Has Goodnight become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Goodnight went from 3,564 recorded bearers to 3,391. That is a decrease of 173 (-4.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,155 to #9,225.
What does the Census say about the background of Goodnight?
Among Census respondents with the surname Goodnight, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.9%. The next largest groups are Black (5.6%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Goodnight in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.9% (2,845 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Goodnight appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.9%), Black (5.6%), Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Goodnight (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 Goodnight mean?
A surname derived from the Middle English phrase "gode niht," used as a nickname for someone of a cheerful disposition. 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 Goodnight (1.13 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 Goodnight?
You can see how many people have the surname Goodnight on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.