2000
#24,701
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 947
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.35
Rare Last name
Goldstone
A surname derived from localities with a golden or yellow soil.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,074 Americans carry the last name Goldstone. That puts it at #27,268 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.31 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 319,138 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Goldstone 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 Goldstone with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.1K
1 in 319,138
Census rank
#27,268
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
937
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 937 bearers of the surname Goldstone in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.31 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 27268th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Goldstone, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Black (5.2%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Goldstone
The surname Goldstone is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to be a locational surname, derived from the name of a specific place or location. One possible origin is that it referred to people who lived near a gold-bearing stream or river, with the name reflecting the presence of gold-colored stones or minerals in the area.
Another theory suggests that Goldstone may have been an occupational surname, referring to someone who worked with gold, such as a goldsmith or a jeweler. This would have been a respected and skilled profession during the Middle Ages, and it's possible that the name was initially given to someone who excelled in this trade.
Historically, the name Goldstone can be traced back to the 13th century. One of the earliest recorded instances is found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1275, where a person named William Goldstone is mentioned. This suggests that the name was already established in parts of England by the late 13th century.
During the 14th century, the name appears in various records, including the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1379, which mention a John Goldstone. This indicates that the surname had spread to different regions of England by this time.
Notable individuals with the surname Goldstone include:
1. Thomas Goldstone (c. 1570-1640), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Dean of Christ Church, Oxford.
2. John Goldstone (1580-1653), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Buckingham during the 17th century.
3. Richard Goldstone (born 1938), a renowned South African jurist and former judge who served on the Constitutional Court of South Africa and led several international investigations into human rights violations.
4. Rebecca Goldstone (born 1950), an American philosopher and cognitive scientist known for her work on concepts and conceptual change.
5. Jack Goldstone (born 1957), an American sociologist and political scientist who has studied revolutions and social movements.
While the surname Goldstone has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including North America, Australia, and various European countries. However, its origins can be traced back to the medieval period in England, where it likely emerged as a locational or occupational surname reflecting the presence of gold-bearing resources or the trade of goldsmithing.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Goldstone
Among Census respondents with the surname Goldstone, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Black (5.2%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Goldstone 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 Goldstone surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.0% · 815
- Black or African American5.2% · 49
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 36
- Two or more races2.9% · 27
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Goldstone
Goldstone 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
#24,874
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,000
+53 bearers (+5.6%)
Per 100,000 0.34
Rank movement Down 173 places
2020
#27,268
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 937
-63 bearers (-6.3%)
Per 100,000 0.31
Rank movement Down 2,394 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #24,701 | 947 | 0.35 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #24,874 | 1,000 | 0.34 | +53 bearers (+5.6%) | Down 173 places |
| 2020 | #27,268 | 937 | 0.31 | -63 bearers (-6.3%) | Down 2,394 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 Goldstone 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 | #24,874 | #27,268 | -9.6% |
| Count | 1,000 | 937 | -6.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.34 | 0.31 | -7.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Goldstone bearers went from 1,000 to 937 (-6.3% change). The surname moved down 2,394 positions in the national ranking, going from #24,874 to #27,268.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Goldstone
FAQ
Goldstone surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Goldstone?
Name Census estimates that about 1,074 living Americans carry the surname Goldstone. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 319,138 residents.
How common is Goldstone?
Goldstone ranks #27,268 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.31 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 937 people with the surname Goldstone. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,074), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.31 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.31 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Goldstone.
Has Goldstone become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Goldstone went from 1,000 recorded bearers to 937. That is a decrease of 63 (-6.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #24,874 to #27,268.
What does the Census say about the background of Goldstone?
Among Census respondents with the surname Goldstone, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Black (5.2%) and Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Goldstone in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.0% (815 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Goldstone appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.0%), Black (5.2%), Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Goldstone (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 Goldstone mean?
A surname derived from localities with a golden or yellow soil. 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 Goldstone (0.31 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 Goldstone?
Find out how many people have the last name Goldstone on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.