2000
#6,792
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,574
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.70
Rare Last name
Goodell
Derived from the Middle English phrase "gode hale," meaning "good health" or "good fortune."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,090 Americans carry the last name Goodell. That puts it at #7,251 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.49 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 67,339 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Goodell 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
5.1K
1 in 67,339
Census rank
#7,251
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,439 bearers of the surname Goodell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.49 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7251st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Goodell, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Goodell
The surname Goodell has its origins in England, dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "gode" meaning "good" and "hyll" meaning "hill," suggesting that the name may have been initially given to someone who lived near a good hill or a pleasing hill.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Goodell can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Godehille." This comprehensive survey of landholdings in England, commissioned by William the Conqueror, provides valuable insight into the distribution and prevalence of surnames during that era.
The name Goodell has undergone various spelling variations throughout history, including Goodhile, Goodhill, Goodhyll, and Goodale. These variations reflect the fluidity of surname spellings in earlier times, as well as regional dialects and scribal interpretations.
In the 13th century, records show a Henry de Godehull residing in Dorset, England. This early mention of the name highlights its longevity and regional roots in the south of England.
During the 16th century, a notable figure bearing the Goodell surname was John Goodale (c. 1500-1570), an English Protestant reformer and clergyman who served as a prebendary of Canterbury Cathedral.
Another prominent individual with the Goodell surname was Jeremiah Goodell (1615-1691), a Puritan minister and one of the founders of the town of Milford, Connecticut. He emigrated from England to the American colonies in the 17th century, establishing the Goodell lineage in the New World.
In the 18th century, John Goodell (1707-1789) was a prominent American farmer and Revolutionary War soldier from Massachusetts, serving in various military campaigns during the American Revolutionary War.
The 19th century saw the birth of Abner Goodell (1826-1904), an American inventor and businessman best known for developing the core manufacturing processes for the production of vulcanized rubber.
Finally, one of the most renowned individuals with the Goodell surname was Charles Lester Goodell (1926-2016), an American lawyer and politician who served as a U.S. Representative and Senator from New York, known for his principled stance during the Watergate scandal.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Goodell
Among Census respondents with the surname Goodell, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Goodell 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 Goodell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.6% · 3,977
- Two or more races4.1% · 182
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 166
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.6% · 71
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 29
- Black or African American0.3% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Goodell
Goodell 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
#7,240
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,607
+33 bearers (+0.7%)
Per 100,000 1.56
Rank movement Down 448 places
2020
#7,251
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,439
-168 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 1.49
Rank movement Down 11 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,792 | 4,574 | 1.70 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,240 | 4,607 | 1.56 | +33 bearers (+0.7%) | Down 448 places |
| 2020 | #7,251 | 4,439 | 1.49 | -168 bearers (-3.6%) | Down 11 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 Goodell 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 | #7,240 | #7,251 | -0.2% |
| Count | 4,607 | 4,439 | -3.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.56 | 1.49 | -4.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Goodell bearers went from 4,607 to 4,439 (-3.6% change). The surname moved down 11 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,240 to #7,251.
FAQ
Goodell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Goodell?
Name Census estimates that about 5,090 living Americans carry the surname Goodell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 67,339 residents.
How common is Goodell?
Goodell ranks #7,251 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.49 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 4,439 people with the surname Goodell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,090), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.49 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.49 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 Goodell.
Has Goodell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Goodell went from 4,607 recorded bearers to 4,439. That is a decrease of 168 (-3.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,240 to #7,251.
What does the Census say about the background of Goodell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Goodell, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (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 Goodell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.6% (3,977 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Goodell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.6%), Two or More Races (4.1%), Hispanic (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 Goodell (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 Goodell mean?
Derived from the Middle English phrase "gode hale," meaning "good health" or "good fortune." 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 Goodell (1.49 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 Americans have the surname Goodell?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.