2000
#12,524
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,269
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.84
Rare Last name
Goulding
An English occupational surname for a keeper of gold or someone who worked with gold.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,596 Americans carry the last name Goulding. That puts it at #12,967 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.76 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 132,032 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Goulding 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Goulding with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.6K
1 in 132,032
Census rank
#12,967
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,264 bearers of the surname Goulding in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.76 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12967th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Goulding, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.3%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Goulding
The surname Goulding is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "golde" meaning "yellow" or "golden-haired." It was initially a nickname given to someone with yellow or golden hair, which later became a hereditary surname.
The earliest recorded instance of the Goulding surname dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Goldwin" and "Goldwine." These early spellings suggest the name's connection to the Old English words "golde" and "wine," meaning "friend" or "protector."
During the Middle Ages, the Goulding surname was prevalent in various regions of England, including Norfolk, Suffolk, and Essex. The name was also found in the Lincolnshire area, where it was sometimes spelled as "Golding" or "Goulden."
One notable historical figure with the Goulding surname was Arthur Goulding (1537-1612), an English divine and academic who served as the Warden of Merton College, Oxford. He was a renowned scholar and author of several religious works.
In the 17th century, John Goulding (1633-1700) was a prominent English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Salisbury. He was also a successful merchant and landowner.
Another notable individual was Edmund Goulding (1621-1697), an English Puritan minister and author who played a significant role in the religious debates of his time. His writings on theology and church governance were highly influential.
The Goulding surname also has connections to place names in England. For instance, the village of Goulding Green in Suffolk is believed to have derived its name from the Goulding family who resided there.
Reverend Edward Goulding (1735-1816) was an English clergyman and author who served as the Dean of Salisbury Cathedral. He was known for his literary works and contributions to the field of theology.
As the Goulding family spread across different regions of England, variations in spelling emerged, such as "Golding," "Goulden," and "Goulden." These variations were often influenced by local dialects and the preferences of individual scribes or record-keepers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Goulding
Among Census respondents with the surname Goulding, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.3%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Goulding 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 Goulding surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.0% · 1,993
- Hispanic or Latino5.3% · 121
- Two or more races3.4% · 76
- Black or African American2.5% · 57
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Goulding
Goulding 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
#12,865
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,393
+124 bearers (+5.5%)
Per 100,000 0.81
Rank movement Down 341 places
2020
#12,967
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,264
-129 bearers (-5.4%)
Per 100,000 0.76
Rank movement Down 102 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,524 | 2,269 | 0.84 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,865 | 2,393 | 0.81 | +124 bearers (+5.5%) | Down 341 places |
| 2020 | #12,967 | 2,264 | 0.76 | -129 bearers (-5.4%) | Down 102 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 Goulding 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 | #12,865 | #12,967 | -0.8% |
| Count | 2,393 | 2,264 | -5.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.81 | 0.76 | -6.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Goulding bearers went from 2,393 to 2,264 (-5.4% change). The surname moved down 102 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,865 to #12,967.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Goulding
FAQ
Goulding surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Goulding?
Name Census estimates that about 2,596 living Americans carry the surname Goulding. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 132,032 residents.
How common is Goulding?
Goulding ranks #12,967 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.76 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 2,264 people with the surname Goulding. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,596), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.76 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.76 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 Goulding.
Has Goulding become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Goulding went from 2,393 recorded bearers to 2,264. That is a decrease of 129 (-5.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,865 to #12,967.
What does the Census say about the background of Goulding?
Among Census respondents with the surname Goulding, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.3%) and Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Goulding in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.0% (1,993 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Goulding appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.0%), Hispanic (5.3%), Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Goulding (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 Goulding mean?
An English occupational surname for a keeper of gold or someone who worked with gold. 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 Goulding (0.76 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 Goulding?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Goulding at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.