Find out how popular the last name Goose is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Goose.
A surname derived from the nickname for someone considered silly or foolish.
Goose, 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 Goose surname is from the 2010 census data.
Goose is the 120187th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.
The Goose surname appeared 144 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Goose.
We can also compare 2010 data for Goose 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.
2010 | 2000 | Change (%) | |
---|---|---|---|
Rank | 120187 | 118954 | 1.03% |
Count | 144 | 135 | 6.45% |
Proportion per 100k | 0.05 | 0.05 | 0.00% |
The surname "GOOSE" is of English origin, and it can be traced back to the 13th century. The name is derived from the Old English word "gos," which means "goose." It was likely initially a nickname given to someone who had a particular connection with geese, such as a goose keeper or a person with a waddling gait.
The earliest recorded instance of the surname dates back to 1273, when a Richard Gose was mentioned in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire. Another early recording is from 1327, with a John Goos appearing in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, there are references to several places with names derived from the word "gos," such as Goseworth in Lincolnshire and Goseleia in Nottinghamshire. These place names may have influenced the development of the surname in some cases.
One of the earliest recorded bearers of the surname was John Goos (c. 1335-1408), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Worcestershire in 1379 and 1388.
Another notable figure with the surname "GOOSE" was Sir Thomas Goose (c. 1590-1658), an English merchant and politician who served as the Lord Mayor of London from 1649 to 1650.
In the literary world, Sir Edmund Gosse (1849-1928) was an English poet, author, and critic who is best known for his autobiographical work "Father and Son" (1907).
The surname "GOOSE" also has connections to the United States. John Goode Goose (1826-1896) was an American businessman and politician who served as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates.
Another notable American with this surname was John C. Goose (1857-1924), a lawyer and politician from Pennsylvania who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1905 to 1909.
We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Goose.
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:
For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Goose was:
Race/Ethnicity | Percentage | Total Occurrences |
---|---|---|
Non-Hispanic White Only | 63.89% | 92 |
Non-Hispanic Black Only | 4.86% | 7 |
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only | (S)% | (S) |
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native | 24.31% | 35 |
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races | 5.56% | 8 |
Hispanic Origin | (S)% | (S) |
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 Goose has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.
2010 | 2000 | Change (%) | |
---|---|---|---|
White | 63.89% | 68.15% | -6.45% |
Black | 4.86% | (S)% | (S)% |
Asian and Pacific Islander | (S)% | (S)% | (S)% |
American Indian and Alaskan Native | 24.31% | 19.26% | 23.18% |
Two or More Races | 5.56% | 8.89% | -46.09% |
Hispanic | (S)% | (S)% | (S)% |
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 Goose was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.
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<a href="http://namecensus.com/last-names/goose-surname-popularity/">Goose last name popularity, history, and meaning</a>
"Goose last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on July 16, 2025. http://namecensus.com/last-names/goose-surname-popularity/.
"Goose last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/goose-surname-popularity/. Accessed 16 July, 2025
Goose last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/goose-surname-popularity/.
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