NameCensus.

UK surname

Goodacre

An English surname derived from the Old English "god" and "aecer" meaning a good or fertile piece of land.

In the 1881 census there were 964 people recorded with the Goodacre surname, ranking it #4,027 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 965, ranked #5,960, down from #4,027 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard and Nottingham St Mary. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include South Holland, Melton and Boston.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Goodacre is 1,172 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has stayed broadly stable by 0.1%.

1881 census count

964

Ranked #4,027

Modern count

965

2016, ranked #5,960

Peak year

1911

1,172 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Goodacre had 964 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #4,027 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 965 in 2016, ranked #5,960.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,172 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Goodacre surname distribution map

The map shows where the Goodacre surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Goodacre surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Goodacre over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 673 #3,857
1861 historical 550 #4,785
1881 historical 964 #4,027
1891 historical 932 #4,443
1901 historical 1,097 #4,404
1911 historical 1,172 #3,987
1997 modern 1,037 #5,329
1998 modern 1,070 #5,373
1999 modern 1,072 #5,393
2000 modern 1,063 #5,412
2001 modern 1,036 #5,427
2002 modern 1,092 #5,302
2003 modern 1,063 #5,325
2004 modern 1,055 #5,367
2005 modern 1,029 #5,423
2006 modern 1,027 #5,440
2007 modern 1,043 #5,429
2008 modern 1,019 #5,565
2009 modern 998 #5,773
2010 modern 1,051 #5,645
2011 modern 1,032 #5,675
2012 modern 976 #5,854
2013 modern 998 #5,835
2014 modern 997 #5,875
2015 modern 974 #5,933
2016 modern 965 #5,960

Geography

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Where Goodacres are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard, Nottingham St Mary and Leicester St Margaret and Bishop's Fee, Leicester All Saints, Blackfriars. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to South Holland, Melton, Boston, Wirral and Derby. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 London parishes London 1
2 London parishes London 3
3 Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard Nottinghamshire
4 Nottingham St Mary Nottinghamshire
5 Leicester St Margaret and Bishop's Fee, Leicester All Saints, Blackfriars Leicestershire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 South Holland 001 South Holland
2 Melton 006 Melton
3 Boston 006 Boston
4 Wirral 011 Wirral
5 Derby 007 Derby

Forenames

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First names often paired with Goodacre

These lists show first names that appear often with the Goodacre surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Goodacre

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Goodacre, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Goodacre surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Goodacre household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Goodacre is most associated with areas classed as Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Mainly concentrated in suburban areas, these terraced and semi-detached developments are less overcrowded than the Supergroup average, and resident households are more likely to own two or more cars. There are fewer residents aged 25-44, and a larger share of residents employed in administrative and secretarial occupations. Residents are more likely to have been born in the UK, less likely to have been born in the EU or Africa, and much less likely to self-identify as Bangladeshi.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Goodacre is most concentrated in decile 5 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

5
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Goodacre falls in decile 7 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

7
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Goodacre is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Goodacre, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Goodacre

The surname Goodacre is of English origin, deriving from the Old English words "gōd" meaning good and "æcer" meaning field or acre of land. It likely emerged during the medieval period as a name given to someone who owned or lived on a particularly fertile or productive piece of land.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Staffordshire from 1327, which mentions a John Godacker. The spelling variations at the time included Godacre, Goodaker, and Goodacor, reflecting the regional dialects and inconsistent spelling practices of the era.

In the 16th century, records show the name Goodacre appearing in various parts of England, particularly in the counties of Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, and Yorkshire. The Hearth Tax Returns of 1670 list several Goodacre households in these areas.

One notable early bearer of the name was William Goodacre, born in Derbyshire around 1620. He was a prominent landowner and served as a local magistrate during the latter part of the 17th century.

Another historical figure with this surname was John Goodacre, a successful merchant and ship owner from Hull, Yorkshire, who lived from 1712 to 1789. He was involved in the lucrative Baltic trade and left a substantial fortune upon his death.

In the 19th century, the Goodacre family had a strong presence in the coal mining industry of Nottinghamshire. Thomas Goodacre (1792-1866) was a prominent mine owner and operator, while his son, also named Thomas (1824-1891), continued the family's involvement in the industry.

Other notable individuals with the Goodacre surname include Sir John Goodacre (1849-1924), a British army officer who served in the Second Boer War and became a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath, and Reginald Goodacre (1904-1980), a British architect known for his work on several prominent buildings in London.

While the name Goodacre is not among the most common surnames in England, it has a long and storied history, reflecting the country's rich agricultural heritage and the importance of land ownership in past centuries.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Goodacre families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Goodacre surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Lincolnshire leads with 188 Goodacres recorded in 1881 and an index of 12.57x.

County Total Index
Lincolnshire 188 12.57x
Leicestershire 168 16.20x
Nottinghamshire 125 9.91x
Middlesex 86 0.92x
Lancashire 53 0.48x
Yorkshire 50 0.54x
Cheshire 41 1.99x
Surrey 36 0.79x
Warwickshire 31 1.31x
Bedfordshire 29 5.99x
Northamptonshire 28 3.18x
Derbyshire 19 1.30x
Kent 15 0.47x
Hampshire 13 0.68x
Devon 11 0.56x
Durham 9 0.32x
Berkshire 8 1.14x
Rutland 8 11.65x
Cambridgeshire 7 1.18x
Hertfordshire 6 0.93x
Sussex 6 0.38x
Essex 5 0.27x
Staffordshire 5 0.16x
Denbighshire 3 0.85x
Buckinghamshire 1 0.18x
Gloucestershire 1 0.05x
Huntingdonshire 1 0.54x
Norfolk 1 0.07x
Oxfordshire 1 0.17x
Royal Navy 1 0.90x
Somerset 1 0.07x
Suffolk 1 0.09x
Wiltshire 1 0.12x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Nottingham St Mary in Nottinghamshire leads with 39 Goodacres recorded in 1881 and an index of 11.96x.

Place Total Index
Nottingham St Mary 39 11.96x
Billingborough 26 682.41x
Melton Mowbray 22 117.96x
Sutterton 22 738.26x
Islington London 20 2.21x
Leicester St Margaret 19 7.51x
Biggleswade 16 100.88x
Great Grimsby 16 16.85x
Kensington London 15 2.88x
Leicester St Mary 15 17.90x
Tranmere 15 19.77x
Leicester All Sts 14 68.73x
Peterborough 13 20.41x
Bethnal Green London 12 2.95x
West Derby 12 3.70x
Liverpool 11 1.63x
Garston 10 30.53x
Linthorpe 10 18.08x
Barrow Upon Soar 9 105.02x
Grantham 9 46.18x
Newington 9 2.60x
Oxton 9 77.05x
Willoughby On Wolds 9 584.42x
Worksop 9 24.06x
Bedford St Mary 8 64.10x
Belgrave 8 34.17x
Birmingham 8 1.02x
Bromley 8 16.44x
East Leake 8 264.03x
Edmonton 8 10.61x
South Kyme 8 470.59x
Stamford St George 8 119.05x
Stretford 8 13.10x
Sutton Bonnington 8 248.45x
Wimbledon 8 15.63x
Baston 7 282.26x
Donington 7 130.35x
Enderby 7 130.35x
Garedon 7 5384.62x
Higher Bebington 7 52.95x
Loughborough 7 14.87x
Prestwold Cotes 7 4117.65x
Sawston 7 122.38x
Snenton 7 14.13x
Southampton St Mary 7 5.81x
Spalding 7 23.58x
Toft Lound Manthorpe 7 823.53x
Aston 6 0.92x
Bramcote 6 248.96x
Chelsea London 6 2.13x
Claylane 6 29.47x
Dalby Great 6 410.96x
Hathern 6 142.86x
Lowdham 6 253.16x
Manthorpe Cum Little 6 52.45x
Milverton 6 86.71x
Sheffield 6 2.03x
South Bersted 6 44.74x
Thurlby Obthorpe 6 300.00x
Weston 6 221.40x
Blatherwycke 5 1111.11x
Dawdon 5 14.61x
Doncaster 5 7.38x
Ecclesall Bierlow 5 2.65x
Frampton 5 176.68x
Grandborough 5 364.96x
Helpstone 5 219.30x
Holwell 5 588.24x
Methley 5 38.31x
Newark Upon Trent 5 11.03x
Reading St Giles 5 7.26x
South Stoneham 5 12.02x
Barking 4 7.40x
Barsby 4 493.83x
Boston 4 8.81x
Elvaston 4 222.22x
Lewisham 4 2.35x
Paddington London 4 1.16x
Stonehouse East 4 40.49x
Whissendine 4 170.94x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Goodacre surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Goodacre surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
William 74
John 63
Thomas 33
Robert 28
George 21
Joseph 21
Charles 19
Edward 16
Henry 13
Samuel 12
Arthur 11
James 11
Albert 9
Frederick 9
Walter 9
Alfred 8
Fred 6
Harry 6
Richard 6
Tom 4
Edwin 3
Francis 3
Frank 3
Frederic 3
Geo. 3
Arther 2
Benjamin 2
David 2
Ernest 2
Hampden 2
Herbert 2
Jesse 2
Matthew 2
Sam 2
Wm. 2
Alfd. 1
Allen 1
Augustus 1
Bejamin 1
Bertie 1
Edgar 1
Edmond 1
Eleayor 1
Elijah 1
Harold 1
Horace 1
Hugh 1
Jno. 1
Jonathan 1
Zachariah 1

FAQ

Goodacre surname: questions and answers

How common was the Goodacre surname in 1881?

In 1881, 964 people were recorded with the Goodacre surname. That placed it at #4,027 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Goodacre surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 965 in 2016. That gives Goodacre a modern rank of #5,960.

What does the Goodacre surname mean?

An English surname derived from the Old English "god" and "aecer" meaning a good or fertile piece of land.

What does the Goodacre map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Goodacre bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.