The Goldsmith surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 16,346 people carried this name — #2,229 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 18,100 people counted. That is up 1% from 16,238 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Goldsmith surname

A surname originating as an occupation.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Goldsmith» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as an occupational name: ‘the goldsmith’.

An early record he cites: Thomas Goldsmyth’, 1379 — Poll Tax, West Riding of Yorkshire.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 325 · public domain.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 22 people named Goldsmith.

11 of them were born outside France. Those born in France came from 5 départements, most often Paris.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born

Born outside France 11
Paris 6
Bouches-du-Rhône 2
Eure 1
Loiret 1
Manche 1

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

In the Nordic population registers

35 people named Goldsmith is counted in Sweden.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 35

Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown).

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Goldsmith was found among the farmers of 2 counties.

It was most frequent in Sussex: 21 in every 10,000 farmers there — about 1 in 476. Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Sussex 21
Suffolk 16

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

62 Goldsmith families were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 354 people lived in those households, 5.7 to a family on average. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

New York 26
Massachusetts 9
Maryland 8
Connecticut 7
New Hampshire 5
North Carolina 3
South Carolina 2
Pennsylvania 1
Virginia 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 242 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Goldsmith in American newspapers,
1880–1920.

Newspaper page from The Portland Daily Press carrying the name Goldsmith
The Portland Daily Press 1895-07-23
Newspaper page from The Jewish Advance carrying the name Goldsmith
The Jewish Advance 1880-04-23
Newspaper page from The Evening World carrying the name Goldsmith
The Evening World 1920-09-13

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 3,386 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Goldsmith in Australian newspapers,
1820s–2000s.

50,087 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Goldsmith. The most, 9,516, date from the 1910s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in Victoria, at 1.5 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Victoria 16,402
New South Wales 11,018
South Australia 7,775
Queensland 7,444
Western Australia 5,057
Tasmania 2,088
ACT (Canberra) 226
Northern Territory 52

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Goldsmith.

Who carried it

People named Goldsmith,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Francis Goldsmith d. 1586 · politician
  • William Goldsmith d. 1912 · naval officer
  • Thomas Goldsmith d. 1714 · pirate
  • Jane Goldsmith d. 1924
  • John Henry Goldsmith d. 1935
  • Annie Lydia Goldsmith d. 1951

Wikidata (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Goldsmith,
in the records of 7 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States4,038 records

4,038 records of the Goldsmith name in the United States
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 2,093
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 723
  • Other U.S. records 1,222
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Charles R. Goldsmith

    Born 1913 in Kentucky. Enlisted 1943 at Louisville; painter from Floyd County, Indiana. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1994, buried at New Albany National Cemetery, Indiana.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Peisach Goldsmith

    Arrived at New York in 1904 aboard the Augusta Victoria from Southampton, aged 21; brass moulder. From Wolkowitz, Russia; bound for New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
  3. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Raymond J. Goldsmith

    Born 1932; from Lewis County, West Virginia. U.S. Army, light weapons infantry leader; killed in action 1953 in North Korea.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)

Showing 3 of 4,038 records for Goldsmith in the United States.

Counts: NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · City of Asheville (public domain, PDDL). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain).

Australia1,301 records

1,301 records of the Goldsmith name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 596
  • Tasmanian Names Index 332
  • Other Australian records 373
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Henry Goldsmith

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Barossa, sailing from Sheerness in 1841. Native of Manchester, Lancashire. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1846. Married 1846 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 29.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Frances Goldsmith

    Died 1910 in Launceston, Tasmania. Will registered in Tasmania in 1910.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record William Goldsmith

    Arrived in Victoria in 1855 aboard the Queen of the Seas, aged 54; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 1,301 records for Goldsmith in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · City of Ballarat, Avenue of Honour Plaques (CC BY 3.0 AU). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Canada204 records

204 records of the Goldsmith name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 167
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 9
  • Other Canadian records 28
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Charles J. Goldsmith

    Buried in 1924 at Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, Nova Scotia, aged 61.

    Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Mabel Mary Goldsmith

    Buried in 1976 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 78.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Margaret Hilda Goldsmith

    Died 1949 in Belleisle, Annapolis, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.

Showing 3 of 204 records for Goldsmith in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Netherlands84 records

84 records of the Goldsmith name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 56
  • Dutch population registers 27
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 1
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Esther Goldsmith

    Born 1868 in Groningen. Married in 1888 in Amsterdam.

    Open Archives, Groninger Archieven (CC BY 4.0); Open Archives, Noord-Hollands Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Filip Goldsmith

    Born 1832 in Noordbroek. Married in 1860 in Winsum; "borstelmaker".

    Open Archives, Groninger Archieven (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Johanna Goldsmith

    Born 1870 in Winsum. Married in 1915 in Opsterland. Died 1942 in Opsterland, aged 72.

    Open Archives, Groninger Archieven (CC BY 4.0); Open Archives, AlleFriezen (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 84 records for Goldsmith in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

United Kingdom39 records

39 records of the Goldsmith name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 27
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 9
  • Other British records 3
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Joseph Goldsmith

    Buried in 1931 at Snowdon Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland, aged 42.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Mary Ann Goldsmith

    Buried in 1828 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 27.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Catherine Esther Goldsmith

    Will proved in 1935.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)

Showing 3 of 39 records for Goldsmith in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0) · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

New Zealand17 records

17 records of the Goldsmith name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 12
  • Marlborough District cemetery records 3
  • Other New Zealand records 2
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Marjorie Goldsmith

    Died 1985, aged 87; buried at Ruru Lawn, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Beatrice Kensington Gold-Smith

    Died 1957, aged 48; buried at Omaka Cemetery, Marlborough.

    Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Henry Goldsmith

    Buried in 1878 at Tararu Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 60.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 17 records for Goldsmith in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

France8 records

8 records of the Goldsmith name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Derek Richard George Goldsmith

    Born 1922 in Great Britain; died 2001 in Nice (Alpes-Maritimes).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Catherine Goldsmith

    Born 1902 in Great Britain; died 1995 in Toulon (Var).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 2 of 8 records for Goldsmith in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Goldsmith.

When the index is not enough

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