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

Goolsby, 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 Goolsby surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Goolsby in America

Goolsby is the 4596th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Goolsby surname appeared 7,721 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Goolsby.

We can also compare 2010 data for Goolsby 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 Goolsby

The surname Goolsby originated in England, with its earliest known records dating back to the 13th century. The name is believed to have derived from the Old English words "gol" meaning "fork" and "by" meaning "town or village," suggesting that the earliest bearers of the name may have resided in a settlement near a forked stream or road.

One of the earliest known references to the name Goolsby can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from the year 1273, where a person named Robert de Goldesburgh is mentioned. This early spelling variation, "Goldesburgh," is thought to be an ancestor of the modern Goolsby name.

In the 14th century, the name appears in various forms in historical records, such as "Goldysby" and "Goldysburgh." These variations reflect the influence of local dialects and scribal errors common in medieval times.

During the 16th century, the name began to take on a more recognizable form, with records showing spellings like "Gouldsbie" and "Gouldesbie." This period also saw the emergence of notable individuals bearing the Goolsby name, including John Gouldsbie, a merchant in London, who was born in 1542.

By the 17th century, the spelling "Goolsby" had become more prevalent, and the name was well-established in various regions of England. One notable figure from this era was William Goolsby, a landowner and yeoman farmer born in 1612 in Lincolnshire.

In the 18th century, the Goolsby name continued to spread across England, with several individuals of note. Among them were Thomas Goolsby, a wealthy merchant from Bristol born in 1724, and Elizabeth Goolsby, a renowned author and poet born in 1762 in Lancashire.

The 19th century saw the Goolsby name gain further prominence, with individuals like Sir Charles Goolsby, a renowned military officer and explorer who served in the British Army during the Napoleonic Wars (1775-1846), and James Goolsby, a influential industrialist and philanthropist from Manchester, born in 1829.

Throughout its history, the Goolsby name has been associated with various professions and achievements, from merchants and authors to military leaders and industrialists. While its origins can be traced back to medieval England, the name has since spread to other parts of the world, reflecting the global reach of English culture and migration patterns.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Goolsby

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

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

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

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