2000
#1,348
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 24,086
First available Census row
Per 100,000 8.93
Uncommon Last name
Goldman
A Jewish occupational surname referring to someone who worked with gold, such as a goldsmith or banker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 26,077 Americans carry the last name Goldman. That puts it at #1,536 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 7.61 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 13,144 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Goldman 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 Goldman with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
26K
1 in 13,144
Census rank
#1,536
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
7.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
23K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 22,740 bearers of the surname Goldman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 7.61 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1536th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Goldman, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Black (4.2%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Goldman
Goldman is a Jewish surname of German origin, derived from the German words "gold" meaning gold, and "mann" meaning man. The name likely originated in the late Middle Ages or Renaissance period, referring to someone who worked with gold or was involved in the goldsmith trade.
The earliest known recorded instances of the Goldman surname date back to the 16th century in various regions of Germany, particularly in the areas of Bavaria and Franconia. Some of the earliest documented references can be found in historical records such as tax rolls, guild registries, and church records.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, the Goldman name began to spread across other parts of Europe, including Poland, Russia, and the Netherlands, often being adopted by Jewish families who migrated to these regions. Variations in spelling, such as Goldmann, Goldman, and Goltman, were also common during this time.
One of the earliest known individuals with the Goldman surname was Jacob Goldman, a prominent goldsmith who lived in Nuremberg, Germany in the late 16th century. His work was highly regarded, and he is mentioned in several historical accounts of the city's artisans and craftsmen.
Another notable Goldman was Samuel Goldman, a Jewish scholar and writer who lived in Prague in the early 17th century. He authored several works on Jewish law and philosophy, and his writings were widely influential in the Jewish intellectual circles of his time.
In the 19th century, the Goldman name gained further recognition with the rise of several prominent figures, including Marcus Goldman, a German-born banker who co-founded the investment banking firm Goldman Sachs in 1869 in New York City (1821-1904).
Other notable individuals with the Goldman surname include Emma Goldman, a Russian-born anarchist and political activist who played a pivotal role in the labor movement in the United States (1869-1940), and Harry Goldman, an American songwriter and composer known for his contributions to Tin Pan Alley and Broadway (1904-1981).
Throughout its history, the Goldman surname has been associated with individuals from various walks of life, including artists, writers, scholars, and businessmen, further solidifying its place as a distinctive and storied Jewish surname with deep roots in German and European history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Goldman
Among Census respondents with the surname Goldman, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Black (4.2%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Goldman 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 Goldman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.2% · 20,282
- Black or African American4.2% · 956
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 724
- Two or more races2.4% · 540
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 187
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 51
Timeline
Historical Census data for Goldman
Goldman 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
#1,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 23,940
-146 bearers (-0.6%)
Per 100,000 8.12
Rank movement Down 147 places
2020
#1,536
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 22,740
-1,200 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 7.61
Rank movement Down 41 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,348 | 24,086 | 8.93 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,495 | 23,940 | 8.12 | -146 bearers (-0.6%) | Down 147 places |
| 2020 | #1,536 | 22,740 | 7.61 | -1,200 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 41 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 Goldman 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 | #1,495 | #1,536 | -2.7% |
| Count | 23,940 | 22,740 | -5.0% |
| Per 100K | 8.12 | 7.61 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Goldman bearers went from 23,940 to 22,740 (-5.0% change). The surname moved down 41 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,495 to #1,536.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Goldman
FAQ
Goldman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Goldman?
Name Census estimates that about 26,077 living Americans carry the surname Goldman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 13,144 residents.
How common is Goldman?
Goldman ranks #1,536 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 7.61 per 100,000 residents, which is about 8 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 22,740 people with the surname Goldman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (26,077), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 7.61 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 7.61 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 8 of them to have the surname Goldman.
Has Goldman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Goldman went from 23,940 recorded bearers to 22,740. That is a decrease of 1,200 (-5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,495 to #1,536.
What does the Census say about the background of Goldman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Goldman, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Black (4.2%) and Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Goldman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.2% (20,282 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Goldman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.2%), Black (4.2%), Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Goldman (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 Goldman mean?
A Jewish occupational surname referring to someone who worked with gold, such as a goldsmith or banker. 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 Goldman (7.61 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 share the surname Goldman?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.