Explore the Family Name Goodman
The meaning of Goodman
1. English: from the Middle English personal name Godeman, Old English Gōdmann, composed of the elements gōd ‘good’ or god ‘god’ + man ‘man’. 2. English: status name from Middle English gode ‘good’ + man ‘man’, in part from use as a term for the master of a household. In Scotland the term denoted a landowner who held his land not directly from the crown but from a feudal vassal of the king. 3. English: from the Middle English personal name Gudmund, Godmund (from the Old English personal name Gūthmund, composed of the elements gūth ‘battle’ + mund ‘protection’, or the Old Norse cognate Guthmundr). 4. Americanized form of Jewish Gutman, German Gutmann or its Dutch cognate Goedman. History: This name was brought independently to New England by many bearers from the 17th century onward. Richard Goodman was one of the founders of Hartford, CT, in 1635 (coming from Cambridge, MA with Thomas Hooker).
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Goodman in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Goodman has seen a slight change in its popularity from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, the surname Goodman ranked 409th in popularity and had a count of 71,482 individuals. By 2010, the rank had dropped to 451st, showing a decrease in popularity by 10.27%. However, the total count of people carrying the surname Goodman increased slightly by 2.31% to 73,136. The proportion per 100k also saw a decrease by 6.45%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #409 | #451 | -10.27% |
| Count | 71,482 | 73,136 | 2.31% |
| Proportion per 100k | 26.5 | 24.79 | -6.45% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Goodman
In terms of ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals shifts in the ethnic identity associated with the Goodman surname between 2000 and 2010. The proportion of Goodmans identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander increased by 32.56%, while those identifying as having two or more races saw an increase of 47.20%. On the other hand, the percentage of White Goodmans decreased by 2.89%. There was an increase in the number of Goodmans identifying as Hispanic by 53.80%, while those identifying as Black saw a modest rise of 4.70%. The proportion of Goodmans identifying as American Indian and Alaskan Native also slightly increased by 3.09%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 80.66% | 78.33% | -2.89% |
| Black | 15.12% | 15.83% | 4.7% |
| Hispanic | 1.58% | 2.43% | 53.8% |
| Two or More Races | 1.25% | 1.84% | 47.2% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.97% | 1% | 3.09% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.43% | 0.57% | 32.56% |
Goodman 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 Goodman is British & Irish, which comprises 39.4% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are Ashkenazi Jewish (23.3%) and French & German (18.2%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, Scandinavian, Italian, Spanish & Portuguese, and Nigerian.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 39.4% |
| Ashkenazi Jewish | 23.3% |
| French & German | 18.2% |
| Other | 19.2% |
Possible origins of the surname Goodman
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 Goodman have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 69.20% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 69.00% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 68.80% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 68.50% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 68.30% |
What Goodman 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 Goodman is R-U152, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-U152 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-P311 and R-CTS241, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Kramer, Miller, Schneider, Simon, Frank, Klein, Berger, Weber, Weiss, Herman.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Goodman surname are: K1a1b1a, H1, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343Your 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 Goodman 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
Like Very Hot Weather
Enjoys weather that is hotter than 100 degrees Farenheit.
"Goodman" Surname 12.8%
23andMe Users 11.5%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Goodman" Surname 25.3%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Whistle
Ability to make a sound by forcing breath out from between lips or teeth.
"Goodman" Surname 88.6%
23andMe Users 84.0%
Wellness
Chronic Back Pain
Persistent and long-lasting discomfort or soreness in the back, typically lasting for more than three months.
"Goodman" Surname 41.4%
23andMe Users 15.0%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Goodman?
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 Goodman are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition