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

Gould, 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 Gould surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gould in America

Gould is the 891st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gould surname appeared 38,924 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 13 people would have the surname Gould.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gould 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 Gould

The surname Gould is of English origin and dates back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English word "golde," meaning "golden," and may have initially referred to someone with golden-colored hair or a fair complexion.

The name is found in early records such as the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which mention a John le Gould. The Domesday Book of 1086 also contains references to places with similar names, such as Gualt and Gualda, which may have contributed to the development of the surname.

In the 14th century, the surname appeared as Golde, Goolde, and Gulde, reflecting the variations in spelling common during that period. By the 16th century, the spelling had stabilized to Gould, as seen in records from Gloucestershire and Wiltshire.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Gould was Sir Thomas Gould (c. 1350–1417), a wealthy merchant and Member of Parliament for Bristol in 1395. Another notable figure was Sir John Gould (1592–1638), an English politician who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1629.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Gould family established themselves as landowners and gentry in various parts of England. Benjamin Gould (1661–1737) was a prominent mathematician and astronomer, known for his contributions to celestial navigation and the calculation of longitude.

In the 19th century, John Gould (1804–1881) was a renowned English ornithologist and bird artist, famous for his lavishly illustrated works on birds, including "The Birds of Europe" and "The Birds of Asia." His wife, Elizabeth Gould (1804–1841), was a skilled artist who assisted him in his work.

Another notable figure was Sir Francis Carruthers Gould (1844–1925), a British political cartoonist and illustrator who worked for publications such as The Westminster Gazette and Punch magazine.

The Gould surname has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Gould's Green in Worcestershire and Gould's Farm in Berkshire, further highlighting its historical roots in the country.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gould

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

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

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

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