2000
#140,756
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Goosmann
An anglicized spelling of the German surname Goos(e)mann, meaning gooseherd or goose keeper.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Goosmann. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Goosmann 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Goosmann in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Goosmann, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.5%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (1.7%) and Hispanic (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Goosmann
The surname GOOSMANN is of German origin, tracing its roots back to the medieval period. It is believed to have originated as a descriptive name derived from the Middle High German word "gos," meaning "goose," and the suffix "-mann," meaning "man." Thus, the name likely referred to someone who worked with or kept geese, perhaps a goose herder or farmer.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname GOOSMANN can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of historical documents from the Kingdom of Saxony, dating back to the 13th century. This suggests that the name was present in the region during that time period.
The variations in spelling, such as Gosman, Gosmann, and Goosman, were common due to the inconsistencies in record-keeping and regional dialects. The name was also occasionally spelled with an umlaut, as in Gösmann or Göosmann.
Notable individuals bearing the GOOSMANN surname include Johann Goosmann, a 16th-century German theologian and author, who lived from 1532 to 1599. Another notable figure was Friedrich Goosmann, a German painter and engraver active in the 18th century, born in 1720 and dying in 1790.
In the 19th century, Heinrich Goosmann (1807-1881) was a German businessman and philanthropist, known for his contributions to the development of the city of Bremen. Olga Goosmann (1875-1962) was a Russian-born German actress who enjoyed a successful career in theater and film during the early 20th century.
One of the most prominent figures with the surname GOOSMANN was Hans Goosmann (1911-1993), a German military officer who served in the Wehrmacht during World War II and later became a respected historian and author, publishing several books on military history.
While the surname GOOSMANN is not among the most common in Germany, it has persisted over the centuries, with its origins rooted in the occupations and daily lives of medieval German communities. The name serves as a reminder of the rich tapestry of cultural heritage woven into surnames across Europe.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Goosmann
Among Census respondents with the surname Goosmann, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.5%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (1.7%) and Hispanic (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Goosmann 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 Goosmann surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.5% · 118
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Goosmann
Goosmann 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
#143,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
+7 bearers (+6.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,393 places
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+5 bearers (+4.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,840 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #140,756 | 109 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #143,149 | 116 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+6.4%) | Down 2,393 places |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.3%) | Up 1,840 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 Goosmann 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 | #143,149 | #141,309 | 1.3% |
| Count | 116 | 121 | 4.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Goosmann bearers went from 116 to 121 (+4.3% change). The surname moved up 1,840 positions in the national ranking, going from #143,149 to #141,309.
FAQ
Goosmann surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Goosmann?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Goosmann. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Goosmann?
Goosmann ranks #141,309 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 121 people with the surname Goosmann. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Goosmann.
Has Goosmann become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Goosmann went from 116 recorded bearers to 121. That is an increase of 5 (+4.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #143,149 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Goosmann?
Among Census respondents with the surname Goosmann, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.5%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (1.7%) and Hispanic (0.8%). 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 Goosmann in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.5% (118 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Goosmann appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.5%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.7%), Hispanic (0.8%). 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 Goosmann (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 Goosmann mean?
An anglicized spelling of the German surname Goos(e)mann, meaning gooseherd or goose keeper. 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 Goosmann (0.04 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 many people share the surname Goosmann?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.