2000
#836
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 37,660
First available Census row
Per 100,000 13.96
Uncommon Last name
Gould
A surname of English origin referring to someone who lived near a marigold field or a gold mine.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 42,378 Americans carry the last name Gould. That puts it at #925 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 12.36 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 8,088 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gould 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 Gould with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
42K
1 in 8,088
Census rank
#925
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
12.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
37K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 36,956 bearers of the surname Gould in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 12.36 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 925th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gould, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.9%. The next largest groups are Black (7.0%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gould
The surname Gould is of English origin and dates back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English word "golde," meaning "golden," and may have initially referred to someone with golden-colored hair or a fair complexion.
The name is found in early records such as the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which mention a John le Gould. The Domesday Book of 1086 also contains references to places with similar names, such as Gualt and Gualda, which may have contributed to the development of the surname.
In the 14th century, the surname appeared as Golde, Goolde, and Gulde, reflecting the variations in spelling common during that period. By the 16th century, the spelling had stabilized to Gould, as seen in records from Gloucestershire and Wiltshire.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Gould was Sir Thomas Gould (c. 1350–1417), a wealthy merchant and Member of Parliament for Bristol in 1395. Another notable figure was Sir John Gould (1592–1638), an English politician who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1629.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Gould family established themselves as landowners and gentry in various parts of England. Benjamin Gould (1661–1737) was a prominent mathematician and astronomer, known for his contributions to celestial navigation and the calculation of longitude.
In the 19th century, John Gould (1804–1881) was a renowned English ornithologist and bird artist, famous for his lavishly illustrated works on birds, including "The Birds of Europe" and "The Birds of Asia." His wife, Elizabeth Gould (1804–1841), was a skilled artist who assisted him in his work.
Another notable figure was Sir Francis Carruthers Gould (1844–1925), a British political cartoonist and illustrator who worked for publications such as The Westminster Gazette and Punch magazine.
The Gould surname has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Gould's Green in Worcestershire and Gould's Farm in Berkshire, further highlighting its historical roots in the country.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gould
Among Census respondents with the surname Gould, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.9%. The next largest groups are Black (7.0%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Gould 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 Gould surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.9% · 31,005
- Black or African American7.0% · 2,569
- Two or more races3.5% · 1,306
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 1,231
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.4% · 521
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 324
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gould
Gould 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
#891
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 38,924
+1,264 bearers (+3.4%)
Per 100,000 13.20
Rank movement Down 55 places
2020
#925
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 36,956
-1,968 bearers (-5.1%)
Per 100,000 12.36
Rank movement Down 34 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #836 | 37,660 | 13.96 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #891 | 38,924 | 13.20 | +1,264 bearers (+3.4%) | Down 55 places |
| 2020 | #925 | 36,956 | 12.36 | -1,968 bearers (-5.1%) | Down 34 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 Gould 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 | #891 | #925 | -3.8% |
| Count | 38,924 | 36,956 | -5.1% |
| Per 100K | 13.20 | 12.36 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gould bearers went from 38,924 to 36,956 (-5.1% change). The surname moved down 34 positions in the national ranking, going from #891 to #925.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Gould
FAQ
Gould surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gould?
Name Census estimates that about 42,378 living Americans carry the surname Gould. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 8,088 residents.
How common is Gould?
Gould ranks #925 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 12.36 per 100,000 residents, which is about 12 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 36,956 people with the surname Gould. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (42,378), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 12.36 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 12.36 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 12 of them to have the surname Gould.
Has Gould become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gould went from 38,924 recorded bearers to 36,956. That is a decrease of 1,968 (-5.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #891 to #925.
What does the Census say about the background of Gould?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gould, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.9%. The next largest groups are Black (7.0%) and Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Gould in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.9% (31,005 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gould appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.9%), Black (7.0%), Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Gould (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 Gould mean?
A surname of English origin referring to someone who lived near a marigold field or a gold mine. 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 Gould (12.36 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 have the last name Gould?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Gould, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.