NameCensus.

UK surname

Goodby

In the 1881 census there were 140 people recorded with the Goodby surname, ranking it #16,151 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 246, ranked #16,993, down from #16,151 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Shrewsbury St Alkmond, St Julian, St Mary (pt), Meole Brace, Leicester St Margaret and Bishop's Fee, Leicester All Saints, Blackfriars and Sheffield. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Birmingham, Tamworth and Leeds.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Goodby is 278 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 75.7%.

1881 census count

140

Ranked #16,151

Modern count

246

2016, ranked #16,993

Peak year

2010

278 bearers

Map years

7

1881 to 2016

Key insights

  • Goodby had 140 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #16,151 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 246 in 2016, ranked #16,993.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 209 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Goodby surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Goodby surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Goodby 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 97 #17,484
1861 historical 94 #21,883
1881 historical 140 #16,151
1891 historical 155 #17,920
1901 historical 184 #15,942
1911 historical 209 #14,557
1997 modern 244 #15,520
1998 modern 255 #15,470
1999 modern 271 #14,954
2000 modern 267 #15,055
2001 modern 261 #15,066
2002 modern 266 #15,156
2003 modern 264 #15,071
2004 modern 257 #15,419
2005 modern 249 #15,679
2006 modern 268 #15,000
2007 modern 257 #15,606
2008 modern 251 #16,026
2009 modern 251 #16,368
2010 modern 278 #15,567
2011 modern 267 #15,892
2012 modern 256 #16,253
2013 modern 256 #16,506
2014 modern 258 #16,554
2015 modern 251 #16,756
2016 modern 246 #16,993

Geography

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Where Goodbys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Shrewsbury St Alkmond, St Julian, St Mary (pt), Meole Brace, Leicester St Margaret and Bishop's Fee, Leicester All Saints, Blackfriars, Sheffield, Halesowen (all except Hunnington, Romsley; partly in Halesowen, Worcestershire) and Birmingham Town: Birmingham. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Birmingham, Tamworth, Leeds and Sandwell. 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 Shrewsbury St Alkmond, St Julian, St Mary (pt), Meole Brace Shropshire
2 Leicester St Margaret and Bishop's Fee, Leicester All Saints, Blackfriars Leicestershire
3 Sheffield Yorkshire, West Riding
4 Halesowen (all except Hunnington, Romsley; partly in Halesowen, Worcestershire) Staffordshire
5 Birmingham Town: Birmingham Warwickshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Birmingham 007 Birmingham
2 Tamworth 006 Tamworth
3 Leeds 029 Leeds
4 Birmingham 043 Birmingham
5 Sandwell 037 Sandwell

Forenames

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First names often paired with Goodby

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Goodby

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Goodby, 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

Baseline UK

Group

Challenged Communities

Nationally, the Goodby surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Challenged Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Goodby household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

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Group profile

Residents of these neighbourhoods typically live in households with dependent children, and there are fewer-than-average residents of normal retirement age or over. Identification with ethnic minorities, particularly Black, or Mixed or Multiple ethnicities is common. The rate of Christian religious affiliation is low. Housing predominantly consists of semi-detached houses, along with a significant number of terraced properties and flats. Overcrowded social housing is common, and private renting occurs at average UK levels. Those in employment work mainly in caring leisure and other services; process, plant and machine operation; or elementary occupations. Unemployment is high, and few individuals have degree level qualifications. Many of these neighbourhoods occur in commuter towns or less accessible areas of larger towns and cities.

Wider pattern

This Supergroup exemplifies the broad base to the UK’s social structure, encompassing as it does the average or modal levels of many neighbourhood characteristics, including all housing tenures, a range of levels of educational attainment and religious affiliations, and a variety of pre-retirement age structures. Yet, in combination, these mixes are each distinctive of the parts of the UK. Overall, terraced houses and flats are the most prevalent, as is employment in intermediate or low-skilled occupations. However, this Supergroup is also characterised by above average levels of unemployment and lower levels of use of English as the main language. Many neighbourhoods occur in south London and the UK’s other major urban centres.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Goodby 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.

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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

Goodby is most concentrated in decile 9 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

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

9
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Goodby falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

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

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Goodby is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 50-60 mbit/s.

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

8
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

1881 census detail

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Goodby families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Goodby 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. Warwickshire leads with 33 Goodbys recorded in 1881 and an index of 9.58x.

County Total Index
Warwickshire 33 9.58x
Yorkshire 28 2.07x
Staffordshire 18 3.91x
Shropshire 17 14.41x
Worcestershire 17 9.53x
Middlesex 9 0.66x
Leicestershire 8 5.28x
Surrey 8 1.20x
Glamorgan 1 0.42x
Northumberland 1 0.49x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Shrewsbury St Mary in Shropshire leads with 16 Goodbys recorded in 1881 and an index of 344.09x.

Place Total Index
Shrewsbury St Mary 16 344.09x
Heeley 15 364.96x
Oldbury 14 159.64x
Aston 13 13.71x
Birmingham 13 11.33x
Lambeth 8 6.72x
Leicester All Sts 8 269.36x
West Bromwich 8 30.31x
Edgbaston 7 65.54x
Wolverhampton 7 19.75x
Hunslet 6 28.44x
Bradford 5 15.26x
St Clement Danes London 5 176.68x
Codsall 3 454.55x
Kings Norton 3 18.76x
Clerkenwell London 2 6.21x
Nether Hallam 2 10.92x
Berrington 1 217.39x
Hammersmith London 1 2.97x
St Bartholomew Great 1 80.65x
Tynemouth 1 9.19x
Ystradyfodwg 1 4.79x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 10
Elizabeth 8
Sarah 7
Emma 6
Annie 4
Rebecca 3
Amelia 2
Ann 2
Edith 2
Eliza 2
Elizh. 2
Ellen 2
Florence 2
Jane 2
Louisa 2
Ada 1
Agnes 1
Alice 1
Amy 1
Anne 1
Caroline 1
Eleanor 1
Emiley 1
Emily 1
Ethel 1
Evelyn 1
Fanny 1
Harriet 1
Helen 1
Joy 1
Julia 1
Kate 1
Lavinia 1
Lilly 1
Matilda 1
Miria 1
Nelly 1
Polly 1
Rose 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 12
Thomas 8
William 6
Alfred 4
George 3
Joseph 3
Samuel 3
Albert 2
Arthur 2
Edwin 2
Frank 2
Henry 2
Walter 2
Benjamin 1
Charles 1
Edward 1
Harry 1
Herbert 1
Isaac 1
James 1
Richard 1
Saml. 1

FAQ

Goodby surname: questions and answers

How common was the Goodby surname in 1881?

In 1881, 140 people were recorded with the Goodby surname. That placed it at #16,151 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Goodby surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 246 in 2016. That gives Goodby a modern rank of #16,993.

What does the Goodby map show?

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