The Goodson surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 15,820 people carried this name — #2,308 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 18,700 people counted. That is up 4% from 15,229 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Goodson surname

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a baptismal name, from a given name: ‘the son of Godith’.

An early record he cites: William Godeson, Cambridgeshire, 1273 — Hundred Rolls.

His entry covers Goodison, Goodisson and Goodson.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 328 · public domain.

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Goodson was found among the farmers of 2 counties.

It was most frequent in Leicestershire and Rutland: 17 in every 10,000 farmers there — about 1 in 588. 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

Leicestershire and Rutland 17
Somerset 9

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

21 Goodson families were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 118 people lived in those households, 5.6 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

South Carolina 9
Virginia 6
North Carolina 6

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

Goodson in American newspapers,
1904–1922.

Newspaper page from The Western News carrying the name Goodson
The Western News 1904-05-11
Newspaper page from The Grenada Sentinel carrying the name Goodson
The Grenada Sentinel 1922-06-23
Newspaper page from The Washington Times carrying the name Goodson
The Washington Times 1906-12-30

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 18,897 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Goodson in Australian newspapers,
1840s–1970s.

4,750 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Goodson. The most, 1,275, date from the 1900s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in Queensland, at 2.1 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Queensland 1,832
Victoria 1,261
New South Wales 847
Western Australia 414
Tasmania 232
South Australia 151
ACT (Canberra) 7
Northern Territory 1

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

Who carried it

People named Goodson,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Mary Jane Goodson Carlisle
    Mary Jane Goodson Carlisle 1835–1905 · leader
  • Frederick W. Goodson d. 1950 · lepidopterist
  • Graham Goodson d. 1988
  • John Goodson 1643–1727 · physician
  • Richard Goodson 1655–1718 · composer
  • Richard Goodson 1688–1741 · composer

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Goodson,
in the records of 5 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 States869 records

869 records of the Goodson name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 520
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 205
  • Other U.S. records 144
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Henry C. Goodson

    Born 1917 in North Carolina. Enlisted 1942 at Hartford, Connecticut; yardman. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1997, buried at Woodland Cemetery, Stamford, Connecticut.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Thomas Henry Goodson

    Born 1945; from Miami, Florida. U.S. Marine Corps, rifleman; killed in action 1968 in Quang Tri, South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Marie Goodson

    Arrived at New York in 1886 aboard the Etruria from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 25; servant. From England.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 869 records for Goodson in the United States.

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

Australia319 records

319 records of the Goodson name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 139
  • Tasmanian Names Index 91
  • Other Australian records 89
  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 Charles Goodson

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the William Metcalfe, sailing from Portsmouth in 1834. Native of Great Walsingham, Norfolk. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1844.

    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 George Goodson

    Died 1921 in Launceston, Tasmania. Will registered in Tasmania in 1921.

    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 Frances Harriett Goodson

    Arrived in Victoria in 1852 aboard the Lady Peel, aged 36; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 319 records for Goodson 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). 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).

United Kingdom15 records

15 records of the Goodson name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 12
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 3
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record William Goodson

    Buried in 1800 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 64.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record W. Goodson

    Manchester Regiment. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record H. Goodson

    Northumberland Fusiliers. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 3 of 15 records for Goodson 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. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Canada13 records

13 records of the Goodson name in Canada
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 5
  • Ontario immigration records, 1865–1883 4
  • Other Canadian records 4
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Henry Goodson

    Came to Ontario in 1871 aboard the Niger, bound for Hamilton, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Arthur Goodson

    Buried in 1981 at Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver, British Columbia.

    City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver.
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Julia E. Goodson

    Died 1917 in Pictou, Nova Scotia.

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

Showing 3 of 13 records for Goodson in Canada.

Counts: City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

France2 records

2 records of the Goodson 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 Leon Yves Goodson

    Born 1970 in Madagascar; died 2000 in Madagascar.

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

    Born 1943 in Great Britain; died 1999 in Calais (Pas-de-Calais).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

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 Goodson.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Goodson is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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