2000
#3,183
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,338
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.83
Uncommon Last name
Gooden
An English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "good valley" or "good pasture."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 12,529 Americans carry the last name Gooden. That puts it at #3,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.66 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 27,357 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gooden 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 Gooden with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
13K
1 in 27,357
Census rank
#3,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 10,926 bearers of the surname Gooden in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.66 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gooden, the largest self-reported group is Black at 62.1%. The next largest groups are White (28.5%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gooden
The surname Gooden is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "god" meaning "good" or "virtuous." It likely emerged as a descriptive surname in the Middle Ages, given to individuals who were considered good or virtuous in character or deeds.
The earliest recorded instances of the Gooden surname can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of England, such as Kent, Sussex, and Essex. It is believed that the name may have originally been spelled as "Goden" or "Godden" before evolving into its modern form.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive record of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror, there are several entries that may be related to the Gooden surname, including "Godwine" and "Godric," which were common names at the time and could have been the precursors to the Gooden name.
One notable historical figure with the Gooden surname was John Gooden (c. 1590-1658), an English Baptist minister and writer who was imprisoned for his religious beliefs during the English Civil War. He wrote several influential works, including "The Doctrine of Baptisms" and "The Christian's Prospective."
Another prominent individual was Sir Samuel Gooden (1688-1751), an English merchant and politician who served as the Governor of the Bank of England from 1741 to 1743. He was also a Member of Parliament for the City of London.
In the 18th century, Thomas Gooden (1718-1789) was a successful English architect who designed several notable buildings, including the Royal Naval College in Portsmouth and the Church of St. Mary the Virgin in Twickenham.
During the 19th century, James Gooden (1818-1895) was a British artist and engraver who specialized in landscape paintings and was elected a member of the Royal Society of British Artists.
Lastly, Dwight Gooden (born 1964), nicknamed "Dr. K," was a American professional baseball player who played for the New York Mets and several other teams in Major League Baseball. He was a four-time All-Star and won the National League Cy Young Award in 1985.
While the Gooden surname has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, and Australia, due to migration and immigration patterns over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gooden
Among Census respondents with the surname Gooden, the largest self-reported group is Black at 62.1%. The next largest groups are White (28.5%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Gooden 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 Gooden surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American62.1% · 6,780
- White28.5% · 3,117
- Two or more races4.6% · 498
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 389
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 101
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 41
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gooden
Gooden 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
#3,190
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,335
+997 bearers (+9.6%)
Per 100,000 3.84
Rank movement Down 7 places
2020
#3,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,926
-409 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 3.66
Rank movement Down 31 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,183 | 10,338 | 3.83 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,190 | 11,335 | 3.84 | +997 bearers (+9.6%) | Down 7 places |
| 2020 | #3,221 | 10,926 | 3.66 | -409 bearers (-3.6%) | Down 31 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 Gooden 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 | #3,190 | #3,221 | -1.0% |
| Count | 11,335 | 10,926 | -3.6% |
| Per 100K | 3.84 | 3.66 | -4.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gooden bearers went from 11,335 to 10,926 (-3.6% change). The surname moved down 31 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,190 to #3,221.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Gooden
FAQ
Gooden surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gooden?
Name Census estimates that about 12,529 living Americans carry the surname Gooden. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 27,357 residents.
How common is Gooden?
Gooden ranks #3,221 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.66 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 10,926 people with the surname Gooden. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (12,529), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.66 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.66 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Gooden.
Has Gooden become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gooden went from 11,335 recorded bearers to 10,926. That is a decrease of 409 (-3.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,190 to #3,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Gooden?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gooden, the largest self-reported group is Black at 62.1%. The next largest groups are White (28.5%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Gooden in the 2020 Census, accounting for 62.1% (6,780 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gooden appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (62.1%), White (28.5%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Gooden (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 Gooden mean?
An English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "good valley" or "good pasture." 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 Gooden (3.66 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 Gooden?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.