2000
#4,435
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,389
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.74
Rare Last name
Goolsby
An English occupational surname derived from the Old English term for a maker or seller of gowns or cloaks.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,361 Americans carry the last name Goolsby. That puts it at #4,711 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.44 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 40,994 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Goolsby 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
8.4K
1 in 40,994
Census rank
#4,711
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,291 bearers of the surname Goolsby in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.44 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4711th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Goolsby, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.1%. The next largest groups are Black (24.6%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Goolsby
Among Census respondents with the surname Goolsby, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.1%. The next largest groups are Black (24.6%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Goolsby 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 Goolsby surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White67.1% · 4,891
- Black or African American24.6% · 1,790
- Two or more races4.4% · 319
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 209
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 51
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 31
Timeline
Historical Census data for Goolsby
Goolsby 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
#4,596
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,721
+332 bearers (+4.5%)
Per 100,000 2.62
Rank movement Down 161 places
2020
#4,711
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,291
-430 bearers (-5.6%)
Per 100,000 2.44
Rank movement Down 115 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,435 | 7,389 | 2.74 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,596 | 7,721 | 2.62 | +332 bearers (+4.5%) | Down 161 places |
| 2020 | #4,711 | 7,291 | 2.44 | -430 bearers (-5.6%) | Down 115 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 Goolsby 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 | #4,596 | #4,711 | -2.5% |
| Count | 7,721 | 7,291 | -5.6% |
| Per 100K | 2.62 | 2.44 | -6.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Goolsby bearers went from 7,721 to 7,291 (-5.6% change). The surname moved down 115 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,596 to #4,711.
FAQ
Goolsby surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Goolsby?
Name Census estimates that about 8,361 living Americans carry the surname Goolsby. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 40,994 residents.
How common is Goolsby?
Goolsby ranks #4,711 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.44 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,291 people with the surname Goolsby. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,361), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.44 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.44 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Goolsby.
Has Goolsby become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Goolsby went from 7,721 recorded bearers to 7,291. That is a decrease of 430 (-5.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,596 to #4,711.
What does the Census say about the background of Goolsby?
Among Census respondents with the surname Goolsby, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.1%. The next largest groups are Black (24.6%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Goolsby in the 2020 Census, accounting for 67.1% (4,891 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Goolsby appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (67.1%), Black (24.6%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Goolsby (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 Goolsby mean?
An English occupational surname derived from the Old English term for a maker or seller of gowns or cloaks. 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 Goolsby (2.44 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 Goolsby?
You can see how common the surname Goolsby is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.