Explore the Family Name Good
The meaning of Good
1. English: nickname from Middle English gode ‘good’ (Old English gōd). 2. English: from the Middle English personal name Gode, representing either Old English Goda (male) or Gode (female), in part a byname and in part a short form of various compound names with the first element gōd, or perhaps a pet form of Old French names in God- such as Godfrey. 3. Americanized form (translation into English) of German Gut and Guth, or Dutch Goed and Goede. History: This (see 3 above) is the name of a (Swiss) German Mennonite family, originally spelled Guth and Gut. Among the Mennonites in the US it is borne mainly by the descendants of Christian and Jacob Good (originally Guth), who came to North America from the Palatinate, Germany, in the early 18th century and settled in Lancaster County, PA. Among the American Mennonites and/or Amish the original forms Guth and Gut are also found.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Good in the United States?
According to the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname "Good" saw a slight decrease from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, it ranked as the 929th most common surname, but dropped to the 981st spot in 2010 - a decline of 5.6%. Despite the drop in rank, the actual count of individuals with this surname increased by 2.95%, from 34,430 to 35,446. The proportion per 100,000 people also declined slightly by 5.8%, from 12.76 in 2000 to 12.02 in 2010.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #929 | #981 | -5.6% |
| Count | 34,430 | 35,446 | 2.95% |
| Proportion per 100k | 12.76 | 12.02 | -5.8% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Good
The ethnic identity associated with the surname "Good" experienced some shifts between 2000 and 2010, based on data from the Decennial U.S. Census. Individuals identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander saw the most significant increase at 139.58%, followed by those identifying as Hispanic at 65.31%. Those identifying as Black saw a modest increase of 7.24%. Individuals identifying as Two or more races also saw an increase of 37.29%. However, there was a small decrease for those identifying as White and American Indian and Alaskan Native, with decreases of 2.63% and 6.82% respectively.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 91.3% | 88.9% | -2.63% |
| Black | 5.11% | 5.48% | 7.24% |
| Hispanic | 1.47% | 2.43% | 65.31% |
| Two or More Races | 1.18% | 1.62% | 37.29% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.48% | 1.15% | 139.58% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.44% | 0.41% | -6.82% |
Good ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Good is British & Irish, which comprises 44.2% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (33.2%) and Eastern European (5.7%). Additional ancestries include Scandinavian, Italian, Spanish & Portuguese, Ashkenazi Jewish, and Indigenous American.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 44.2% |
| French & German | 33.2% |
| Eastern European | 5.7% |
| Other | 16.9% |
Possible origins of the surname Good
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Good have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 82.10% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 82.00% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 82.00% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 81.70% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 81.60% |
What Good haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Good is L-M349, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup L-M349 is descended from haplogroup L-M20. Other common haplogroups include R-U152 and R-CTS241, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Roybal, Harless, Desimone, Lippert, Barth, Petit, Miller, Albrecht, Weber, Smith.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Good surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins L-M20Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette
Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.
What do people with the surname Good have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Good" Surname 47.7%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Good" Surname 27.4%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Good" Surname 23.0%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Good" Surname 19.7%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Good?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Good are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition