2000
#11,166
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,606
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.97
Rare Last name
Goodrum
Derived from a place name meaning "good rum," likely referring to a location known for producing high-quality rum.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,972 Americans carry the last name Goodrum. That puts it at #11,594 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.87 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 115,328 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Goodrum 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 Goodrum with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.0K
1 in 115,328
Census rank
#11,594
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,592 bearers of the surname Goodrum in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.87 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11594th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Goodrum, the largest self-reported group is White at 59.3%. The next largest groups are Black (31.6%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Goodrum
The surname Goodrum is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old English words "god" meaning "good" and "rum" meaning "room" or "space." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived in a spacious or well-appointed dwelling.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is spelled "Godrume." This entry refers to a landowner in the county of Oxfordshire. Over time, the name evolved into various spellings such as Godrum, Godroome, and ultimately Goodrum.
During the 13th century, records show a John Godrum who was a prominent landowner in the village of Chedworth, Gloucestershire. His descendants continued to reside in the area for several generations, contributing to the spread of the name in the region.
In the 15th century, a notable bearer of the Goodrum surname was Sir William Goodrum, a knight who served in the Wars of the Roses. He was born around 1425 and fought for the House of Lancaster during the conflict.
Another historically significant figure was Thomas Goodrum, a merchant and alderman in the city of London during the late 16th century. He was involved in the lucrative wool trade and played a role in the city's governance.
In the 17th century, the Goodrum name was found in various parts of England, including the counties of Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, and Somerset. One noteworthy individual from this era was Reverend John Goodrum, a clergyman who served as the vicar of Weston-under-Penyard in Herefordshire from 1672 until his death in 1698.
As the centuries progressed, the Goodrum surname continued to spread across England and eventually to other parts of the world, carried by individuals who emigrated from their homeland. Some notable bearers of the name include James Goodrum, an 18th-century surgeon who served in the British Army, and William Goodrum, a 19th-century poet and author from Warwickshire.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Goodrum
Among Census respondents with the surname Goodrum, the largest self-reported group is White at 59.3%. The next largest groups are Black (31.6%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Goodrum 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 Goodrum surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White59.3% · 1,536
- Black or African American31.6% · 819
- Two or more races5.1% · 132
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 83
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Goodrum
Goodrum 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
#11,971
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,609
+3 bearers (+0.1%)
Per 100,000 0.88
Rank movement Down 805 places
2020
#11,594
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,592
-17 bearers (-0.7%)
Per 100,000 0.87
Rank movement Up 377 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,166 | 2,606 | 0.97 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,971 | 2,609 | 0.88 | +3 bearers (+0.1%) | Down 805 places |
| 2020 | #11,594 | 2,592 | 0.87 | -17 bearers (-0.7%) | Up 377 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 Goodrum 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 | #11,971 | #11,594 | 3.1% |
| Count | 2,609 | 2,592 | -0.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.88 | 0.87 | -1.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Goodrum bearers went from 2,609 to 2,592 (-0.7% change). The surname moved up 377 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,971 to #11,594.
FAQ
Goodrum surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Goodrum?
Name Census estimates that about 2,972 living Americans carry the surname Goodrum. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 115,328 residents.
How common is Goodrum?
Goodrum ranks #11,594 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.87 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 2,592 people with the surname Goodrum. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,972), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.87 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.87 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 Goodrum.
Has Goodrum become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Goodrum went from 2,609 recorded bearers to 2,592. That is a decrease of 17 (-0.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,971 to #11,594.
What does the Census say about the background of Goodrum?
Among Census respondents with the surname Goodrum, the largest self-reported group is White at 59.3%. The next largest groups are Black (31.6%) and Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Goodrum in the 2020 Census, accounting for 59.3% (1,536 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Goodrum appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (59.3%), Black (31.6%), Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Goodrum (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 Goodrum mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "good rum," likely referring to a location known for producing high-quality rum. 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 Goodrum (0.87 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 Goodrum?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Goodrum is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.