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

Goudy, 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 Goudy surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Goudy in America

Goudy is the 11933rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Goudy surname appeared 2,622 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Goudy.

We can also compare 2010 data for Goudy 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 Goudy

The surname Goudy is believed to have originated in Scotland. It is derived from the Scottish Gaelic word 'gòdach', which means 'greedy' or 'gluttonous'. The name likely referred to someone with a hearty appetite or a tendency to overindulge in food and drink.

The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 13th century in the Scottish Lowlands. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was John Gowdy, who was mentioned in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland in 1264. The name was also found in various Scottish charters and records from the medieval period, with spellings such as Goudy, Gowdy, and Goudye.

In the 16th century, the Goudy family was prominent in the parish of Kilmarnock, Ayrshire. Records show that a Robert Goudy was a landowner in the area during this time. Another notable bearer of the name was John Goudy, a minister in the Church of Scotland who lived from 1617 to 1681.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Goudy surname spread across Scotland and into other parts of the United Kingdom. One notable figure was William Goudy, a Scottish merchant and plantation owner who lived from 1680 to 1737. He owned several plantations in Jamaica and was involved in the Caribbean sugar trade.

In the 19th century, the Goudy family had members who achieved prominence in various fields. One such individual was Robert Goudy, a Scottish architect who designed several notable buildings in Glasgow. He was born in 1803 and died in 1882. Another notable figure was Alexander Goudy, a Scottish-born American educator who lived from 1819 to 1896. He served as the president of Wabash College in Indiana.

Throughout history, the Goudy surname has been associated with various place names, such as Goudy's Croft in Ayrshire, Scotland, and Goudy's Hill in the West Indies. The name has also been spelled in various ways, including Gowdie, Gouidie, and Gowdey, reflecting the evolving nature of spelling conventions over time.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Goudy

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

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

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

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