2000
#112,365
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 145
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Goughenour
A German surname derived from a place name meaning "difficult moor" or "inhospitable marsh."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 163 Americans carry the last name Goughenour. That puts it at #126,357 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,102,787 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Goughenour 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
163
1 in 2,102,787
Census rank
#126,357
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
142
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 142 bearers of the surname Goughenour in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 126357th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Goughenour, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
Origin
Meaning and origin of Goughenour
The surname Goughenour has its origins in France, specifically in the Normandy region, dating back to the 11th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old French words "goujon," meaning "gudgeon" or a small freshwater fish, and "eure," referring to a river or stream. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a river or stream where gudgeon fish were found.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of land ownership and taxation compiled in 1086 by William the Conqueror. The name is listed as "Goughenor," which is likely a variation of the modern spelling.
In the 13th century, a man named Jean Goughenour was mentioned in the records of the Duchy of Normandy, indicating that the name had established roots in the region by that time. Another notable figure was Pierre Goughenour, a merchant from the town of Rouen, who lived in the late 15th century.
As the name spread across Europe, different spellings emerged, such as Gougenour, Goughenor, and Goughenower. In England, the name took on the form Goughenour, likely due to the influence of Norman settlers after the conquest of 1066.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in England can be found in the tax records of Gloucestershire from the 14th century, where a William Goughenour is listed as a landowner. In the 16th century, a Thomas Goughenour was mentioned in the parish records of Warwickshire.
During the 17th century, the name gained prominence with the birth of Sir John Goughenour (1620-1690), a notable English politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for Gloucestershire. Another notable figure was James Goughenour (1645-1718), a merchant and ship owner from Bristol, who played a significant role in the city's maritime trade.
In the 18th century, the Goughenour family continued to establish itself as a prominent name in various parts of England. One example is William Goughenour (1725-1802), a successful banker and landowner from Oxfordshire. Another notable figure was Elizabeth Goughenour (1760-1830), a renowned author and poet from Yorkshire.
As the name spread across the Atlantic, it gained a foothold in North America, particularly in the United States and Canada. Many Goughenour families can trace their roots back to immigrants from England, France, and other European countries who arrived in the 17th and 18th centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Goughenour
Among Census respondents with the surname Goughenour, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
The bar chart below shows how Goughenour 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 Goughenour surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White100.0% · 142
Timeline
Historical Census data for Goughenour
Goughenour 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
#120,901
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 143
-2 bearers (-1.4%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 8,536 places
2020
#126,357
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 142
-1 bearers (-0.7%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 5,456 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #112,365 | 145 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #120,901 | 143 | 0.05 | -2 bearers (-1.4%) | Down 8,536 places |
| 2020 | #126,357 | 142 | 0.05 | -1 bearers (-0.7%) | Down 5,456 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 Goughenour 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 | #120,901 | #126,357 | -4.5% |
| Count | 143 | 142 | -0.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.05 | -5.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Goughenour bearers went from 143 to 142 (-0.7% change). The surname moved down 5,456 positions in the national ranking, going from #120,901 to #126,357.
FAQ
Goughenour surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Goughenour?
Name Census estimates that about 163 living Americans carry the surname Goughenour. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,102,787 residents.
How common is Goughenour?
Goughenour ranks #126,357 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.05 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 142 people with the surname Goughenour. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (163), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.05 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 Goughenour.
Has Goughenour become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Goughenour went from 143 recorded bearers to 142. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #120,901 to #126,357.
What does the Census say about the background of Goughenour?
Among Census respondents with the surname Goughenour, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%. 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 Goughenour in the 2020 Census, accounting for 100.0% (142 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Goughenour appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (100.0%). 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 Goughenour (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 Goughenour mean?
A German surname derived from a place name meaning "difficult moor" or "inhospitable marsh." 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 Goughenour (0.05 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 have the last name Goughenour?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Goughenour at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.