2000
#9,789
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,049
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.13
Rare Last name
Goyette
A diminutive of the Old French personal name Goye, derived from the Germanic element gaut, meaning "Goth."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,485 Americans carry the last name Goyette. That puts it at #10,109 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.02 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 98,351 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Goyette 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
3.5K
1 in 98,351
Census rank
#10,109
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,039 bearers of the surname Goyette in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.02 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10109th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Goyette, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Goyette
The surname Goyette is of French origin, with its roots tracing back to the northern regions of France, particularly in Normandy and Brittany. The name is believed to have derived from the Old French word "goie," meaning a marsh or swampy area, suggesting that the earliest bearers of this name may have resided or worked in such regions.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Goyette surname can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name was recorded as "Gohiet," reflecting the evolution of its spelling over time.
During the Middle Ages, the Goyette family established a presence in various parts of France, with records showing individuals bearing this surname in Normandy, Brittany, and other regions. Notable figures from this period include Jacques Goyette, a respected scholar and theologian born in Rouen in 1425, and Jeanne Goyette, a prominent landowner in the village of Beauvais, who lived in the late 14th century.
As the centuries passed, the Goyette surname spread across Europe and eventually to North America, with many bearers of this name settling in Canada and the United States. One of the earliest recorded instances of the Goyette name in North America dates back to the 17th century, when Pierre Goyette, a French immigrant, settled in Quebec in 1668.
In the 19th century, several individuals with the Goyette surname made significant contributions to their respective fields. Among them was Jules Goyette (1832-1909), a renowned French-Canadian artist known for his landscape paintings, and Marie-Louise Goyette (1867-1945), a pioneering educator and advocate for women's rights in Quebec.
Another notable figure was Émile Goyette (1878-1956), a Canadian inventor and engineer who developed several innovative agricultural machinery designs, including a successful hay loader that revolutionized farming practices in North America.
Throughout history, the Goyette surname has been associated with various professions and achievements, from scholars and artists to inventors and landowners. While the name's exact origins may be difficult to pinpoint precisely, its rich history and evolution across different regions and cultures serve as a testament to the diverse tapestry of human migration and linguistic influence.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Goyette
Among Census respondents with the surname Goyette, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Goyette 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 Goyette surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.4% · 2,838
- Two or more races3.6% · 110
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 55
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 15
- Black or African American0.4% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Goyette
Goyette 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
#9,983
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,231
+182 bearers (+6.0%)
Per 100,000 1.10
Rank movement Down 194 places
2020
#10,109
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,039
-192 bearers (-5.9%)
Per 100,000 1.02
Rank movement Down 126 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,789 | 3,049 | 1.13 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,983 | 3,231 | 1.10 | +182 bearers (+6.0%) | Down 194 places |
| 2020 | #10,109 | 3,039 | 1.02 | -192 bearers (-5.9%) | Down 126 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 Goyette 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 | #9,983 | #10,109 | -1.3% |
| Count | 3,231 | 3,039 | -5.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.10 | 1.02 | -7.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Goyette bearers went from 3,231 to 3,039 (-5.9% change). The surname moved down 126 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,983 to #10,109.
FAQ
Goyette surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Goyette?
Name Census estimates that about 3,485 living Americans carry the surname Goyette. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 98,351 residents.
How common is Goyette?
Goyette ranks #10,109 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.02 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 3,039 people with the surname Goyette. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,485), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.02 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.02 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 Goyette.
Has Goyette become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Goyette went from 3,231 recorded bearers to 3,039. That is a decrease of 192 (-5.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,983 to #10,109.
What does the Census say about the background of Goyette?
Among Census respondents with the surname Goyette, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (1.8%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Goyette in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.4% (2,838 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Goyette appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.4%), Two or More Races (3.6%), Hispanic (1.8%). 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 Goyette (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 Goyette mean?
A diminutive of the Old French personal name Goye, derived from the Germanic element gaut, meaning "Goth." 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 Goyette (1.02 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 are called Goyette?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Goyette at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.