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

Goodwin, 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 Goodwin surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Goodwin in America

Goodwin is the 454th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Goodwin surname appeared 72,451 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 25 people would have the surname Goodwin.

We can also compare 2010 data for Goodwin 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 Goodwin

The surname GOODWIN is of Anglo-Saxon origin and derives from the Old English words "god" meaning "good" and "wine" meaning "friend". It was originally an occupational surname given to someone who was considered a good friend or comrade.

The earliest known record of the surname dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Godwine". This indicates that the name was already well-established in England by the 11th century.

During the Middle Ages, the name was often spelled in various ways, such as "Godwyne", "Godwyn", and "Goodwyne". These variations reflected the different regional dialects and scribal practices of the time.

In the 13th century, a notable bearer of the name was Roger Godwyn, who was a wealthy landowner in Wiltshire, England. Records from that period also mention a Richard Godwin, who was a prominent citizen of London.

In the 16th century, the name appeared in the form of "Goodwin" in the records of St. Mary's Church in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk. This spelling became more common as the English language standardized.

One of the earliest known examples of the surname can be found in the records of the Virginia Company, where a John Goodwin is listed as one of the first settlers in Jamestown, Virginia, in 1607.

Notable historical figures with the surname GOODWIN include Thomas Goodwin (1600-1680), an influential English Puritan theologian and preacher, and John Goodwin (1594-1665), an English Arminian theologian and controversial writer.

In the 18th century, Benjamin Goodwin (1700-1787) was a prominent American silversmith and engraver, known for his work on early American currency. Another notable bearer of the name was Charles Goodwin (1817-1878), an English archdeacon and author.

During the 19th century, Nathaniel Goodwin (1857-1919) was a renowned American actor and playwright, best known for his performances in comedic roles on the vaudeville stage.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Goodwin

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

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

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

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