2000
#2,046
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,238
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.02
Uncommon Last name
Goldsmith
An occupational surname referring to a metalworker who specializes in making or selling gold items.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 17,866 Americans carry the last name Goldsmith. That puts it at #2,277 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.21 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 19,185 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Goldsmith 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 Goldsmith with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
18K
1 in 19,185
Census rank
#2,277
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
16K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 15,580 bearers of the surname Goldsmith in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.21 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2277th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Goldsmith, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.7%. The next largest groups are Black (16.5%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Goldsmith
The surname Goldsmith originated in England and Germany during the Middle Ages. It is an occupational surname, derived from the Old English words "golde" meaning gold and "smið" meaning smith or worker. The name refers to a craftsman who forged and worked with gold, creating jewelry, coins, and other precious metalwork.
In England, the name Goldsmith can be traced back to the 13th century. One of the earliest recorded instances is found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which lists a John le Goldsmyth in Oxfordshire. The Goldsmith surname also appears in various tax records and borough rolls from the 14th and 15th centuries across different counties in England.
In Germany, the surname Goldsmith (or variations like Goldschmidt, Goldschmied, and Goldsmit) emerged around the same time period. The name is documented in records from cities like Nuremberg, which had a thriving goldsmith trade during the Middle Ages. The Goldschmied family from Nuremberg produced several notable goldsmiths, including Hans Goldschmied (c.1460-1533), who created intricate works for royalty and nobility.
The Domesday Book, compiled in 1086, does not include any direct references to the Goldsmith surname, as it primarily recorded landowners and tenants rather than occupational names. However, it does mention several individuals with the occupation of "aurifaber" or goldsmith, indicating the presence of this craft in England during the Norman period.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the Goldsmith surname is Robert le Goldsmyth, who was mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls for Sussex in 1296. Another early figure was John Goldsmyth, a goldsmith from London who was appointed as the King's Goldsmith in 1336 by Edward III.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the Goldsmith surname, including:
1. Oliver Goldsmith (1728-1774), an Irish novelist, playwright, and poet best known for works like "The Vicar of Wakefield" and "She Stoops to Conquer."
2. Sir James Goldsmith (1933-1997), a Anglo-French billionaire businessman and financier, known for his corporate raids and hostile takeovers.
3. Rebecca Goldsmith (1640-c.1696), an English Quaker writer and preacher who published several religious works.
4. Lewis Goldsmith (1763-1846), an English engraver and portrait painter who worked for the Royal Family and was appointed as the Engraver to the Mint.
5. John Goldsmith (1558-1629), an English composer and organist who served as the organist of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford.
The Goldsmith surname has also been associated with various place names, such as Goldsmithville in North Carolina, Goldsmith in Indiana, and Goldsmith's Gerry in Wiltshire, England, which was named after a local goldsmith family.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Goldsmith
Among Census respondents with the surname Goldsmith, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.7%. The next largest groups are Black (16.5%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Goldsmith 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 Goldsmith surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White75.7% · 11,800
- Black or African American16.5% · 2,563
- Two or more races3.7% · 572
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 487
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 113
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 45
Timeline
Historical Census data for Goldsmith
Goldsmith 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
#2,229
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,346
+108 bearers (+0.7%)
Per 100,000 5.54
Rank movement Down 183 places
2020
#2,277
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,580
-766 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 5.21
Rank movement Down 48 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,046 | 16,238 | 6.02 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,229 | 16,346 | 5.54 | +108 bearers (+0.7%) | Down 183 places |
| 2020 | #2,277 | 15,580 | 5.21 | -766 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 48 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 Goldsmith 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 | #2,229 | #2,277 | -2.2% |
| Count | 16,346 | 15,580 | -4.7% |
| Per 100K | 5.54 | 5.21 | -5.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Goldsmith bearers went from 16,346 to 15,580 (-4.7% change). The surname moved down 48 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,229 to #2,277.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Goldsmith
FAQ
Goldsmith surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Goldsmith?
Name Census estimates that about 17,866 living Americans carry the surname Goldsmith. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 19,185 residents.
How common is Goldsmith?
Goldsmith ranks #2,277 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.21 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 15,580 people with the surname Goldsmith. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (17,866), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.21 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.21 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Goldsmith.
Has Goldsmith become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Goldsmith went from 16,346 recorded bearers to 15,580. That is a decrease of 766 (-4.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,229 to #2,277.
What does the Census say about the background of Goldsmith?
Among Census respondents with the surname Goldsmith, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.7%. The next largest groups are Black (16.5%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Goldsmith in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.7% (11,800 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Goldsmith appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (75.7%), Black (16.5%), Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Goldsmith (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 Goldsmith mean?
An occupational surname referring to a metalworker who specializes in making or selling gold items. 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 Goldsmith (5.21 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 Goldsmith?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Goldsmith at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.