2000
#14,890
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,823
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.68
Rare Last name
Goudeau
An old French surname derived from the Middle English word "goude" meaning a meadow or pasture.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,110 Americans carry the last name Goudeau. That puts it at #15,355 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 162,443 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Goudeau 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
2.1K
1 in 162,443
Census rank
#15,355
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,840 bearers of the surname Goudeau in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15355th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Goudeau, the largest self-reported group is Black at 46.0%. The next largest groups are White (40.8%) and Hispanic (5.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Goudeau
The surname GOUDEAU originated in France during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old French word "goudal," which means a small ravine or gulch. This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near or worked in a ravine or gulch.
The earliest known record of the name GOUDEAU appears in a 13th-century manuscript from the region of Normandy, where it was spelled "Goudal." Over time, the spelling evolved to its modern form of GOUDEAU.
In the 15th century, the name GOUDEAU was found in records from the town of Rouen in Normandy, indicating that the name was well-established in that region. The name may have also been associated with the nearby village of Goudal, which could have been the place of origin for some early bearers of the name.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname GOUDEAU was Jean GOUDEAU, a merchant who lived in Rouen in the late 15th century. Another notable figure was Pierre GOUDEAU (1542-1615), a French poet and playwright who was born in Normandy.
In the 17th century, the GOUDEAU name spread to other parts of France, including the regions of Poitou and Anjou. A prominent bearer of the name during this time was Jacques GOUDEAU (1628-1701), a French lawyer and judge who served in the Parlement of Paris.
The 18th century saw the rise of François GOUDEAU (1746-1819), a French revolutionary and politician who was involved in the events of the French Revolution. He served as a deputy in the National Convention and later became a member of the Council of Five Hundred.
In the 19th century, the GOUDEAU name continued to be found in various parts of France, with individuals such as Émile GOUDEAU (1849-1906), a French poet and writer who was associated with the Symbolist and Decadent movements.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Goudeau
Among Census respondents with the surname Goudeau, the largest self-reported group is Black at 46.0%. The next largest groups are White (40.8%) and Hispanic (5.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Goudeau 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 Goudeau surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American46.0% · 847
- White40.8% · 751
- Hispanic or Latino5.8% · 107
- Two or more races5.8% · 107
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 21
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Goudeau
Goudeau 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
#15,328
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,913
+90 bearers (+4.9%)
Per 100,000 0.65
Rank movement Down 438 places
2020
#15,355
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,840
-73 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 0.62
Rank movement Down 27 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,890 | 1,823 | 0.68 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,328 | 1,913 | 0.65 | +90 bearers (+4.9%) | Down 438 places |
| 2020 | #15,355 | 1,840 | 0.62 | -73 bearers (-3.8%) | Down 27 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 Goudeau 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 | #15,328 | #15,355 | -0.2% |
| Count | 1,913 | 1,840 | -3.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.65 | 0.62 | -5.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Goudeau bearers went from 1,913 to 1,840 (-3.8% change). The surname moved down 27 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,328 to #15,355.
FAQ
Goudeau surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Goudeau?
Name Census estimates that about 2,110 living Americans carry the surname Goudeau. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 162,443 residents.
How common is Goudeau?
Goudeau ranks #15,355 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.62 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,840 people with the surname Goudeau. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,110), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.62 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Goudeau.
Has Goudeau become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Goudeau went from 1,913 recorded bearers to 1,840. That is a decrease of 73 (-3.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #15,328 to #15,355.
What does the Census say about the background of Goudeau?
Among Census respondents with the surname Goudeau, the largest self-reported group is Black at 46.0%. The next largest groups are White (40.8%) and Hispanic (5.8%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Goudeau in the 2020 Census, accounting for 46.0% (847 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Goudeau appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (46.0%), White (40.8%), Hispanic (5.8%). 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 Goudeau (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 Goudeau mean?
An old French surname derived from the Middle English word "goude" meaning a meadow or pasture. 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 Goudeau (0.62 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 Americans have the surname Goudeau?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.