NameCensus.

UK surname

Goodison

An English place name meaning "Godeheard's landing place" or "landing place on Godeheard's estate".

In the 1881 census there were 611 people recorded with the Goodison surname, ranking it #5,748 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 962, ranked #5,978, down from #5,748 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Ecclesfield, Stockport and Leeds. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Sheffield.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Goodison is 1,008 in 2009. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 57.4%.

1881 census count

611

Ranked #5,748

Modern count

962

2016, ranked #5,978

Peak year

2009

1,008 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Goodison had 611 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #5,748 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 962 in 2016, ranked #5,978.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 853 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Goodison surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Goodison surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Goodison 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 360 #6,569
1861 historical 346 #7,377
1881 historical 611 #5,748
1891 historical 611 #6,291
1901 historical 718 #6,149
1911 historical 853 #5,199
1997 modern 934 #5,797
1998 modern 969 #5,823
1999 modern 975 #5,819
2000 modern 962 #5,871
2001 modern 925 #5,956
2002 modern 952 #5,918
2003 modern 916 #5,998
2004 modern 930 #5,926
2005 modern 925 #5,899
2006 modern 939 #5,848
2007 modern 954 #5,835
2008 modern 960 #5,831
2009 modern 1,008 #5,727
2010 modern 1,003 #5,869
2011 modern 990 #5,865
2012 modern 995 #5,760
2013 modern 1,001 #5,819
2014 modern 988 #5,917
2015 modern 981 #5,899
2016 modern 962 #5,978

Geography

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Where Goodisons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Ecclesfield, Stockport, Leeds, Wakefield and Sheffield. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Sheffield. 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 Ecclesfield Yorkshire, West Riding
2 Stockport Cheshire
3 Leeds Yorkshire, West Riding
4 Wakefield Yorkshire, West Riding
5 Sheffield Yorkshire, West Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Sheffield 023 Sheffield
2 Sheffield 025 Sheffield
3 Sheffield 064 Sheffield
4 Sheffield 001 Sheffield
5 Sheffield 075 Sheffield

Forenames

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First names often paired with Goodison

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Goodison

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

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Established but Challenged

Nationally, the Goodison surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Goodison household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Goodison 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

Goodison is most concentrated in decile 10 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.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Goodison 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 Goodison 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 Goodison, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Goodison

The surname Goodison is an English habitational name derived from the place name Goodison in Lancashire, England. The place name itself is derived from the Old English personal name Godi and the word tun, meaning an enclosure or settlement.

The earliest recorded instance of the surname Goodison dates back to the late 12th century, appearing in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire in 1199. This suggests that the name was already well-established in England by that time.

In the 13th century, the name Godisone is mentioned in the Assize Rolls of Lancashire in 1246, indicating the presence of the Goodison family in the area from which the name originated.

One of the earliest known bearers of the surname Goodison was John Goodison, a landowner who lived in the village of Goodison, Lancashire, in the early 14th century. Records from the time show that he owned several acres of land in the area.

The Goodison surname is also found in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1332, which list taxpayers in various counties of England. This provides further evidence of the widespread use of the name during the medieval period.

Notably, the surname Goodison appears in the historical records of the English Civil War (1642-1651). Captain Thomas Goodison fought for the Parliamentarian forces and is mentioned in several accounts of the conflict.

Another notable figure bearing the Goodison surname was Sir John Goodison (1640-1718), a prominent English merchant and politician who served as the Mayor of Liverpool in 1688 and as a Member of Parliament for the city from 1695 to 1708.

In the 18th century, the Goodison family was well-established in Lancashire, with several members holding positions of importance in local government and business. One such individual was William Goodison (1728-1802), a successful merchant and landowner in the city of Liverpool.

The 19th century saw the birth of George Goodison (1834-1912), a notable English architect who designed several notable buildings in Liverpool, including the Playhouse Theatre and the Liverpool Institute High School for Boys.

Throughout its history, the Goodison surname has been associated with various places in Lancashire, such as Goodison Park, the home stadium of the Everton Football Club, which was named after the Goodison family who owned the land it was built on in the late 19th century.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Goodison families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Goodison 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 447 Goodisons recorded in 1881 and an index of 7.57x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 447 7.57x
Lancashire 60 0.85x
Cheshire 29 2.20x
Surrey 18 0.62x
Berkshire 10 2.24x
Middlesex 10 0.17x
Derbyshire 7 0.75x
Lincolnshire 7 0.73x
Kent 6 0.30x
Devon 5 0.40x
Norfolk 5 0.55x
Warwickshire 2 0.13x
Buckinghamshire 1 0.28x
Hampshire 1 0.08x
Staffordshire 1 0.05x
Sussex 1 0.10x
Wiltshire 1 0.19x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Bradfield in Yorkshire leads with 68 Goodisons recorded in 1881 and an index of 298.64x.

Place Total Index
Bradfield 68 298.64x
Sheffield 44 23.40x
Nether Hallam 40 50.06x
Ecclesfield 29 66.96x
Ecclesall Bierlow 26 21.64x
Heeley 23 128.13x
Brightside Bierlow 22 18.99x
Leeds 17 5.10x
Stockport 13 19.20x
Sculcoates 11 11.75x
Beeston 10 167.50x
Bradford 10 6.99x
Brinnington 10 81.37x
Middlesbrough 10 13.00x
Southowram 10 55.46x
Denby 9 282.13x
Oldham 9 3.94x
Wakefield 9 19.85x
Walton In Wakefield 9 708.66x
Woolstone 9 2195.12x
Bowling 8 13.68x
Hulme 8 5.42x
Manchester 8 2.52x
Rastrick 8 48.75x
Alverthorpe Cum Thornes 7 32.63x
Bermondsey 7 3.95x
Heaton Norris 7 17.39x
Lambeth 7 1.35x
Ashton Under Lyne 6 3.88x
Barnsley 6 9.85x
Potter Newton 6 57.58x
Thorne 6 81.86x
Doncaster 5 11.59x
Holy Trinity 5 3.52x
Morley 5 16.28x
Plymouth Charles The 5 9.15x
Stanley Cum Wrenthorpe 5 18.22x
Sutton 5 74.29x
Tinsley 5 241.55x
Batley 4 7.13x
Clee With Weelsby 4 19.18x
Headingley Cum Burley 4 10.52x
Manningham 4 5.50x
Newton 4 7.34x
St Pancras London 4 0.83x
Canterbury St Paul 3 82.19x
Crumpsall 3 18.00x
Horton In Bradford 3 3.25x
Lewisham 3 2.77x
Liverpool 3 0.70x
Offerton 3 416.67x
Pendleton In Salford 3 3.56x
Stayley 3 19.95x
Witton 3 33.71x
Attercliffe Cum Darnall 2 3.64x
Attleborough 2 43.20x
Great Yarmouth 2 2.63x
Harbury 2 81.97x
Hathersage 2 76.34x
Islington London 2 0.35x
Kingston On Thames 2 2.87x
Norton 2 26.01x
Salford 2 0.96x
Barrow In Furness 1 1.04x
Camberwell 1 0.26x
Derwent 1 263.16x
Hawkshead Monk Coniston 1 40.65x
Horbury 1 9.68x
Hornsey 1 1.33x
Horsforth 1 7.72x
Kensington London 1 0.30x
Mile End Old Town London 1 0.79x
Mirfield 1 3.08x
North Skirlaugh 1 172.41x
Northowram 1 2.41x
Rotherham 1 3.00x
Sibsey 1 46.51x
St John Lincoln 1 98.04x
Stone 1 3.89x
Wigan 1 1.01x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 39
Sarah 23
Ann 19
Elizabeth 14
Ellen 13
Annie 12
Alice 11
Eliza 11
Emma 10
Hannah 10
Laura 8
Emily 7
Lucy 7
Martha 7
Ada 5
Clara 5
Edith 5
Harriet 5
Jane 5
Kate 5
Louisa 5
Florence 4
Maria 4
Susannah 4
Anne 3
Charlotte 3
Fanny 3
Lilly 3
Beatrice 2
Caroline 2
Constance 2
Frances 2
Harriett 2
Lizzie 2
Margaret 2
Matilda 2
Selina 2
Agnese 1
Bertha 1
Betsey 1
Daisy 1
Eleanor 1
Elizeth.An. 1
Elizth. 1
Ellnor 1
Gertrude 1
Harriot 1
Helena 1
Isabella 1
Violet 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 41
John 28
Thomas 24
George 21
Joseph 18
James 12
Benjamin 9
Walter 9
Alfred 8
Henry 8
Samuel 8
Albert 7
Arthur 7
Charles 7
Thos. 7
Harry 6
Edward 5
Frank 5
Frederick 5
Wm. 5
Fred 4
Sam 4
Ernest 3
Geo. 3
Sydney 3
Vincent 3
Herbert 2
Horace 2
Isaac 2
Alexandra 1
Ben 1
Daniel 1
Douglas 1
Edith 1
Edmund 1
Friend 1
Geo.A. 1
Geo.H. 1
Geo.Wm. 1
Herman 1
Jas.Snell 1
Jeremiah 1
Joe 1
Lewis 1
Mark 1
Pearson 1
Peter 1
Riby 1
Rowland 1
Saml. 1

FAQ

Goodison surname: questions and answers

How common was the Goodison surname in 1881?

In 1881, 611 people were recorded with the Goodison surname. That placed it at #5,748 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Goodison surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 962 in 2016. That gives Goodison a modern rank of #5,978.

What does the Goodison surname mean?

An English place name meaning "Godeheard's landing place" or "landing place on Godeheard's estate".

What does the Goodison map show?

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