NameCensus.

UK surname

Goodlet

An English surname likely derived from the Old English personal name "Godlaf" or the words "good" and "let" (small holding).

In the 1881 census there were 167 people recorded with the Goodlet surname, ranking it #14,443 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 187, ranked #20,488, down from #14,443 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to New Monkland, Kirknewton and Edinburgh. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Northumberland, Cumnock Rural and IZ04.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Goodlet is 207 in 1998. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 12.0%.

1881 census count

167

Ranked #14,443

Modern count

187

2016, ranked #20,488

Peak year

1998

207 bearers

Map years

8

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Goodlet had 167 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #14,443 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 187 in 2016, ranked #20,488.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 178 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Goodlet surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Goodlet surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Goodlet 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 165 #12,053
1861 historical 155 #14,881
1881 historical 167 #14,443
1891 historical 176 #16,404
1901 historical 178 #16,284
1911 historical 51 #27,708
1997 modern 197 #17,792
1998 modern 207 #17,749
1999 modern 200 #18,237
2000 modern 198 #18,330
2001 modern 192 #18,388
2002 modern 190 #18,889
2003 modern 189 #18,738
2004 modern 188 #18,919
2005 modern 177 #19,598
2006 modern 183 #19,326
2007 modern 176 #20,028
2008 modern 174 #20,385
2009 modern 178 #20,486
2010 modern 178 #20,965
2011 modern 178 #20,809
2012 modern 180 #20,606
2013 modern 184 #20,643
2014 modern 185 #20,739
2015 modern 186 #20,576
2016 modern 187 #20,488

Geography

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Where Goodlets are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around New Monkland, Kirknewton, Edinburgh, Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry and Dirleton. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Northumberland, Cumnock Rural, IZ04 and Clovenstone and Wester Hailes. 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 New Monkland Lanark
2 Kirknewton Edinburgh
3 Edinburgh Edinburgh
4 Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry Forfar
5 Dirleton Haddington

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Northumberland 001 Northumberland
2 Cumnock Rural East Ayrshire
3 Northumberland 002 Northumberland
4 IZ04 East Lothian
5 Clovenstone and Wester Hailes City of Edinburgh

Forenames

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First names often paired with Goodlet

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Goodlet

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Goodlet, 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 Goodlet surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Goodlet 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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Goodlet 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

Goodlet is most concentrated in decile 1 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy 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.

1
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Goodlet falls in decile 4 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.

4
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Goodlet is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of Over 70 mbit/s.

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

10
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Goodlet

The surname Goodlet has its origins tracing back to medieval England, derived from the Old English words "god" and "let," meaning "good" and "small estate" or "small holding." This suggests that the name likely referred to individuals who owned or occupied a modest landed property.

Historically, the earliest recorded instances of the surname Goodlet can be found in various English records and manuscripts from the 13th and 14th centuries, though the spelling variations include Godlet, Godlett, Godlette, and Godlot. One notable early reference is in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1301, which mentions a William Godelet.

By the 16th century, the surname had evolved into its more modern spelling of Goodlet, as evidenced by records such as the Subsidy Rolls of Staffordshire from 1523, which lists a Thomas Goodlet. During this time, the name was predominantly concentrated in the northern counties of England, particularly Yorkshire, Northumberland, and Durham.

One of the earliest known bearers of the Goodlet surname was Sir John Goodlet, a prominent landowner and magistrate who lived in Yorkshire in the late 15th century. Another notable figure was Richard Goodlet, born in 1587 in Northumberland, who served as a captain in the English Civil War and is mentioned in historical accounts of the siege of York in 1644.

In the 17th century, the Goodlet surname began to spread beyond its northern English stronghold, with records showing individuals bearing the name in other parts of the country, such as London and the southern counties. One example is William Goodlet, born in 1642 in Gloucestershire, who was a successful merchant and prominent figure in the city of Bristol.

As the centuries progressed, the Goodlet surname continued to be represented across various fields and professions. Notable individuals include John Goodlet, born in 1745 in Yorkshire, who was a renowned architect and designed several notable buildings in London, and Thomas Goodlet, born in 1812 in Durham, who was a pioneering industrialist and founder of the Goodlet Iron Works in Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Goodlet families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Goodlet 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. Midlothian leads with 59 Goodlets recorded in 1881 and an index of 27.04x.

County Total Index
Midlothian 59 27.04x
Lanarkshire 35 6.64x
Angus 21 13.92x
Ayrshire 15 12.30x
Durham 8 1.65x
East Lothian 7 32.44x
Cheshire 5 1.39x
Northumberland 5 2.06x
Renfrewshire 4 3.17x
West Lothian 3 12.23x
Worcestershire 2 0.94x
Fife 1 1.04x
Shetland 1 6.01x
Stirlingshire 1 1.66x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Edinburgh St Cuthberts in Midlothian leads with 36 Goodlets recorded in 1881 and an index of 41.00x.

Place Total Index
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 36 41.00x
North Leith 12 118.81x
Old Monkland 12 57.39x
Govan 10 7.67x
Gateshead 8 22.05x
Liff Benvie 8 34.92x
Kinnel 7 1794.87x
Sorn 7 292.89x
Dirleton 6 705.88x
Edinburgh Greenside 6 208.33x
New Monkland 6 38.54x
Birkenhead 5 17.45x
Glasgow 5 5.34x
Tweedmouth 5 165.56x
Largs 4 139.37x
Bathgate 3 56.29x
Dundee 3 5.32x
Loudoun 3 102.39x
St Vigeans 3 36.81x
Kirknewton East 2 219.78x
Paisley High Church 2 19.90x
South Leith 2 8.14x
Webheath 2 526.32x
Abbey 1 5.19x
Berwick North 1 66.23x
Bothwell 1 7.00x
East Kilbride 1 44.25x
Edinburgh St Stephens 1 23.26x
Maybole 1 26.95x
Neilston 1 15.77x
Polmont 1 45.05x
Sandsting Aitsting 1 66.23x
St Andrews 1 22.78x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Annie 1
Annis 1
Clara 1
Elizabeth 1
Isabella 1
Jane 1
Margaret 1
Minnie 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 4
John 3
Charles 2
Alexander 1
Hugh 1
James 1

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Goodlet households.

FAQ

Goodlet surname: questions and answers

How common was the Goodlet surname in 1881?

In 1881, 167 people were recorded with the Goodlet surname. That placed it at #14,443 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Goodlet surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 187 in 2016. That gives Goodlet a modern rank of #20,488.

What does the Goodlet surname mean?

An English surname likely derived from the Old English personal name "Godlaf" or the words "good" and "let" (small holding).

What does the Goodlet map show?

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