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

Goodsell, 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 Goodsell surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Goodsell in America

Goodsell is the 14208th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Goodsell surname appeared 2,113 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 Goodsell.

We can also compare 2010 data for Goodsell 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 Goodsell

The surname Goodsell is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to be a locational name, referring to someone who lived near a good or prosperous sell, which was an old English word for a shelter or dwelling. The name may have evolved from various spellings such as Godeshale, Godeshill, or Godshull, which were common in areas like Berkshire and Hampshire.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Goodsell can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Buckinghamshire in 1176, where a Richard de Godeshulle is mentioned. This suggests that the name was already well-established by the late 12th century.

The Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landholdings in England compiled in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the name Goodsell. However, it does list several places with similar names, such as Godeshull in Somerset and Godshille in Wiltshire, which may have been associated with the origins of the surname.

During the 13th and 14th centuries, the name Goodsell appeared in various forms in historical records across southern England. For instance, a William Godeshull is mentioned in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1285, while a John Godshyll is recorded in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1332.

One notable individual bearing the name Goodsell was Sir Henry Goodsell (1580-1658), a wealthy merchant and member of the Worshipful Company of Mercers in London. He served as Lord Mayor of London in 1635 and was knighted by King Charles I.

Another prominent figure was Reverend Thomas Goodsell (1690-1767), an Anglican clergyman who served as the vicar of Wrotham in Kent. He was also a respected scholar and author, publishing several theological works during his lifetime.

In the 18th century, John Goodsell (1730-1805) became a successful entrepreneur and businessman in Bristol, where he established a prosperous trading company dealing in textiles and other goods.

During the 19th century, the name Goodsell began to spread more widely across England and into other parts of the British Isles. One notable bearer was Emily Goodsell (1835-1912), a pioneering philanthropist and social reformer who founded several charitable organizations in London aimed at improving the lives of the poor and underprivileged.

Finally, mention should be made of Sir Charles Goodsell (1875-1950), a prominent British civil servant and diplomat who served as Ambassador to Turkey from 1920 to 1926 and later became a member of the Privy Council.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Goodsell

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

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

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

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