Explore the Family Name Godley
The meaning of Godley
English: habitational name found mainly in Yorkshire and Surrey, from Godly in Rishworth (Yorkshire) or Godley Bridge in Surrey, which was the home of Geoffrey de Godelegh in 1228 and William de Godelegh in 1332. However, the place in Surrey may have been named after this family, as was Godley’s Green in Sussex. Godley was the name of a hundred in Surrey but it was not a settlement, and the Surrey and Sussex families may have originated outside the county, from Godley in Cheshire, for example, or from Goodleigh, in Uffculme (Devon), both of which are known to have given rise to surnames. These are all named from the Old English byname Gōda meaning ‘good’ + Old English lēah ‘woodland clearing’.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Godley in the United States?
Based on data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Godley has seen slight changes in its popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it ranked 11,557th most popular, but fell to 12,362nd by 2010, a decrease of nearly 7%. However, the actual count of people with the Godley surname increased slightly from 2,495 to 2,515 during this period, indicating an overall growth rate of 0.8%. The proportion of individuals with the Godley surname per 100,000 people also decreased by about 7.61%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #11,557 | #12,362 | -6.97% |
| Count | 2,495 | 2,515 | 0.8% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.92 | 0.85 | -7.61% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Godley
The ethnicity associated with the Godley surname also shifted according to the Decennial U.S. Census data. The largest ethnic identity group with the Godley surname continued to be White, though its percentage dropped from 66.61% in 2000 to 63.30% in 2010. Meanwhile, there was a significant increase in the number of people identifying as two or more races, going from 1.16% to 1.95%, and those identifying as Hispanic, which rose from 1.32% to 2.23%. The percentage of individuals identifying as Black also saw an increase, rising from 30.46% in 2000 to 32.09% in 2010. No Godleys identified as Asian/Pacific Islander or American Indian and Alaskan Native in either year.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 66.61% | 63.3% | -4.97% |
| Black | 30.46% | 32.09% | 5.35% |
| Hispanic | 1.32% | 2.23% | 68.94% |
| Two or More Races | 1.16% | 1.95% | 68.1% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0% | 0% |