NameCensus.

UK surname

Goodall

An English locational surname referring to someone who lived near a hall or manor house of good quality.

In the 1881 census there were 6,418 people recorded with the Goodall surname, ranking it #662 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 8,812, ranked #743, down from #662 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Leeds and St Pancras. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Derbyshire Dales, Kirklees and Basingstoke and Deane.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Goodall is 9,507 in 1998. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 37.3%.

1881 census count

6,418

Ranked #662

Modern count

8,812

2016, ranked #743

Peak year

1998

9,507 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Goodall had 6,418 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #662 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 8,812 in 2016, ranked #743.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 8,743 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Goodall surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Goodall surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Goodall 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 4,037 #704
1861 historical 3,884 #721
1881 historical 6,418 #662
1891 historical 7,282 #615
1901 historical 8,743 #600
1911 historical 8,614 #572
1997 modern 9,113 #687
1998 modern 9,507 #688
1999 modern 9,488 #694
2000 modern 9,402 #696
2001 modern 9,185 #697
2002 modern 9,349 #702
2003 modern 9,130 #704
2004 modern 9,028 #710
2005 modern 8,832 #719
2006 modern 8,854 #716
2007 modern 8,845 #726
2008 modern 8,852 #730
2009 modern 8,984 #738
2010 modern 9,129 #742
2011 modern 9,061 #734
2012 modern 8,859 #735
2013 modern 8,947 #741
2014 modern 8,992 #739
2015 modern 8,896 #739
2016 modern 8,812 #743

Geography

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Where Goodalls are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Leeds, St Pancras and Birstall. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Derbyshire Dales, Kirklees, Basingstoke and Deane and Leeds. 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 Leeds Yorkshire, West Riding
4 St Pancras London (North Districts)
5 Birstall Yorkshire, West Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Derbyshire Dales 005 Derbyshire Dales
2 Kirklees 015 Kirklees
3 Basingstoke and Deane 022 Basingstoke and Deane
4 Derbyshire Dales 010 Derbyshire Dales
5 Leeds 089 Leeds

Forenames

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First names often paired with Goodall

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Goodall

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Goodall, 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 Goodall surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Goodall 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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Goodall is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. 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 located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Goodall is most concentrated in decile 6 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.

6
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Goodall falls in decile 6 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.

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Goodall 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 Goodall, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Goodall

The surname Goodall is of English origin and can be traced back to the Anglo-Saxon period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "gode" meaning good and "hall" meaning a hall or manor house. Thus, the name likely referred to someone who lived in a large or fine hall.

The earliest recorded instance of the surname Goodall can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it was written as "Godehalle." This suggests that the name was already in use by the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066.

During the Middle Ages, the name was also spelled in various ways, such as Goodhall, Goodale, and Goodhall. These variations were likely due to regional dialects and the inconsistencies in spelling conventions at the time.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Goodall was Sir John Goodall, a knight who lived in the 13th century. He was mentioned in several historical records from that period, including the Pipe Rolls of 1230.

In the 16th century, the name appeared in the parish records of Derbyshire, where a family by the name of Goodall resided in the village of Brailsford. Thomas Goodall, born in 1520, was a prominent member of this family and served as a local magistrate.

Another notable figure with the surname Goodall was Jane Goodall (1923-present), the world-renowned British primatologist and anthropologist. She is best known for her groundbreaking research on chimpanzees in Tanzania's Gombe Stream National Park, which began in 1960.

Other individuals of historical significance with the surname Goodall include:

1. Howard Goodall (born 1958), a British composer and broadcaster. 2. Frederick Goodall (1822-1904), an English painter known for his depictions of Egyptian scenes. 3. Walter Goodall (1706-1766), an English botanist and author of "The Florist's Delight." 4. Thomas Goodall (1592-1651), an English clergyman and religious writer who served as the Rector of Cheshunt in Hertfordshire.

The surname Goodall has been found in various parts of England, including Yorkshire, Derbyshire, and Hertfordshire. It is also present in other English-speaking countries, such as the United States, Canada, and Australia, due to immigration from Britain.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Goodall families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Goodall 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. Yorkshire leads with 1,552 Goodalls recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.50x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 1,552 2.50x
Middlesex 544 0.87x
Hampshire 486 3.79x
Derbyshire 428 4.37x
Staffordshire 427 2.02x
Lancashire 280 0.38x
Nottinghamshire 260 3.08x
Surrey 226 0.74x
Midlothian 187 2.23x
Berkshire 160 3.41x
Cheshire 134 0.97x
Warwickshire 130 0.82x
East Lothian 124 14.96x
Fife 110 2.97x
Lanarkshire 90 0.44x
Shropshire 86 1.59x
Suffolk 77 1.01x
Kent 76 0.36x
Perthshire 65 2.31x
Buckinghamshire 62 1.64x
Gloucestershire 61 0.50x
Somerset 60 0.60x
Oxfordshire 58 1.50x
Aberdeenshire 54 0.93x
Banffshire 52 4.01x
Wiltshire 52 0.94x
Durham 50 0.27x
Worcestershire 47 0.58x
Lincolnshire 38 0.38x
Angus 36 0.62x
Essex 33 0.27x
Northamptonshire 31 0.53x
Glamorgan 30 0.28x
Sussex 30 0.28x
Devon 28 0.22x
Leicestershire 26 0.37x
Ayrshire 25 0.53x
Cumberland 19 0.35x
Norfolk 15 0.16x
Bedfordshire 14 0.43x
Northumberland 14 0.15x
Herefordshire 13 0.51x
Kinross-shire 10 6.32x
Stirlingshire 10 0.43x
Berwickshire 9 1.19x
Clackmannanshire 9 1.74x
Radnorshire 9 1.78x
Dunbartonshire 8 0.48x
Morayshire 8 0.82x
Selkirkshire 8 1.41x
Dorset 7 0.17x
Peeblesshire 7 2.38x
Merionethshire 6 0.52x
Hertfordshire 5 0.12x
Royal Navy 5 0.67x
Caernarfonshire 4 0.16x
Cambridgeshire 4 0.10x
Flintshire 4 0.24x
Dumfriesshire 2 0.14x
Huntingdonshire 2 0.16x
West Lothian 2 0.21x
Denbighshire 1 0.04x
Kincardineshire 1 0.13x
Monmouthshire 1 0.02x
Ross-shire 1 0.06x
Westmorland 1 0.07x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Leeds in Yorkshire leads with 125 Goodalls recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.57x.

Place Total Index
Leeds 125 3.57x
Heckmondwike 106 53.15x
Liversedge 100 36.23x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 86 2.55x
St Pancras London 86 1.71x
Garforth 76 160.13x
Dewsbury 70 11.01x
Fareham 64 41.53x
Batley 63 10.69x
Aston 56 1.29x
Nottingham St Mary 48 2.20x
Portsea 47 1.87x
Stone 47 17.40x
Birmingham 46 0.87x
Stoke Upon Trent 46 2.05x
Hackney London 40 1.14x
Govan 38 0.76x
Hucknall Torkard 38 17.77x
Kippax 38 69.69x
Camberwell 35 0.88x
Lambeth 35 0.64x
Castleford 34 15.06x
Walsall Foreign 32 2.93x
Wield 32 607.21x
Islington London 30 0.49x
Swillington 30 170.16x
Errol 29 55.75x
Soothill 29 12.95x
Barnsley 28 4.38x
Berwick North 28 48.24x
Wolverhampton 28 1.72x
Everton 27 1.14x
Hunslet 27 2.79x
Newington 27 1.17x
Manchester 26 0.78x
Pinxton 26 52.21x
Fraserburgh 25 15.33x
Newcastle Under Lyme 25 6.69x
Reading St Giles 25 5.43x
Barony 24 0.47x
Radford 24 5.60x
Tibshelf 24 49.94x
Auchterderran 23 24.70x
Hammersmith London 23 1.49x
Reading St Mary 23 6.11x
South Leith 23 2.44x
Bethnal Green London 22 0.81x
Andover 21 17.33x
Barwick In Elmet 21 44.21x
Burslem 21 3.47x
Mirfield 21 6.17x
Sheffield 21 1.06x
Sutton In Ashfield 21 11.47x
Southampton St Mary 20 2.48x
Stockport 20 2.81x
Cubley 19 295.49x
Derby St Werburgh 19 3.36x
Dunbar 19 16.35x
Ecclesall Bierlow 19 1.51x
Liverpool 19 0.42x
Methley 19 21.76x
Rothwell 19 15.17x
Seacroft 19 64.71x
Toxteth Park 19 0.76x
Wortley In Bramley 19 3.87x
Bradford 18 1.20x
Dunfermline 18 3.16x
Escrick 18 142.74x
Nettlebed 18 126.76x
Ripley 18 14.87x
Scalby In Scarborough 18 140.08x
Tottenham 18 1.81x
Willesden 18 3.05x
Barrow In Furness 17 1.68x
Derby St Peter 17 5.45x
Dundee 17 0.79x
Hook 17 12.46x
North Leith 17 4.38x
Preston 17 49.64x
Whitchurch 17 87.99x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 349
Elizabeth 236
Sarah 221
Ann 114
Jane 114
Annie 109
Ellen 95
Emma 91
Eliza 84
Hannah 84
Martha 68
Alice 62
Emily 55
Charlotte 42
Edith 42
Fanny 40
Harriet 39
Margaret 38
Ada 37
Louisa 37
Harriett 34
Florence 33
Maria 28
Frances 27
Caroline 26
Lucy 25
Agnes 24
Clara 24
Kate 24
Anne 20
Amelia 17
Catherine 17
Esther 17
Amy 16
Rose 16
Jessie 15
Ethel 14
Julia 14
Rebecca 13
Sophia 13
Maud 12
Eleanor 11
Ruth 11
Susan 11
Bertha 10
Elizth. 10
Lydia 9
Matilda 9
Lilly 7
Rhoda 7

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 309
John 305
George 221
James 186
Thomas 176
Henry 139
Charles 110
Joseph 88
Alfred 72
Edward 62
Arthur 61
Frederick 59
Walter 51
Richard 50
Samuel 49
Albert 45
Harry 45
Robert 45
Frank 41
Ernest 26
Benjamin 21
Herbert 21
Wm. 20
Edwin 16
Fred 16
Tom 14
Stephen 13
Alexander 12
David 12
Francis 12
Geo. 9
Ralph 8
Chas. 7
Isaac 7
Peter 7
Daniel 6
Joshua 6
Sidney 6
Thos. 6
Willie 6
Abraham 5
Jas. 5
Jeremiah 5
Joe 5
Jonathan 5
Leonard 5
Matthew 5
Percy 5
Philip 5
Sam 5

FAQ

Goodall surname: questions and answers

How common was the Goodall surname in 1881?

In 1881, 6,418 people were recorded with the Goodall surname. That placed it at #662 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Goodall surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 8,812 in 2016. That gives Goodall a modern rank of #743.

What does the Goodall surname mean?

An English locational surname referring to someone who lived near a hall or manor house of good quality.

What does the Goodall map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Goodall 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.