NameCensus.

UK surname

Goodwin

A surname of Anglo-Saxon origin referring to someone who was a good friend or an auspicious person.

In the 1881 census there were 15,759 people recorded with the Goodwin surname, ranking it #254 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 22,127, ranked #266, down from #254 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Wolstanton, London parishes and Manchester. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include High Peak, Staffordshire Moorlands and Cheshire East.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Goodwin is 23,090 in 1998. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 40.4%.

1881 census count

15,759

Ranked #254

Modern count

22,127

2016, ranked #266

Peak year

1998

23,090 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Goodwin had 15,759 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #254 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 22,127 in 2016, ranked #266.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 20,974 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Goodwin surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Goodwin surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Goodwin 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 10,130 #252
1861 historical 10,416 #245
1881 historical 15,759 #254
1891 historical 17,231 #234
1901 historical 20,129 #241
1911 historical 20,974 #208
1997 modern 21,391 #267
1998 modern 23,090 #254
1999 modern 23,052 #258
2000 modern 22,897 #259
2001 modern 22,385 #258
2002 modern 22,784 #258
2003 modern 22,195 #257
2004 modern 22,134 #258
2005 modern 21,686 #261
2006 modern 21,495 #265
2007 modern 21,627 #263
2008 modern 21,752 #265
2009 modern 22,321 #265
2010 modern 22,608 #266
2011 modern 22,345 #266
2012 modern 21,979 #265
2013 modern 22,440 #265
2014 modern 22,534 #266
2015 modern 22,269 #266
2016 modern 22,127 #266

Geography

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Where Goodwins are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Wolstanton, London parishes, Manchester, Lambeth and Sheffield. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to High Peak, Staffordshire Moorlands and Cheshire East. 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 Wolstanton Staffordshire
2 London parishes London 3
3 Manchester Lancashire
4 Lambeth London (South Districts)
5 Sheffield Yorkshire, West Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 High Peak 010 High Peak
2 High Peak 013 High Peak
3 Staffordshire Moorlands 005 Staffordshire Moorlands
4 Staffordshire Moorlands 003 Staffordshire Moorlands
5 Cheshire East 051 Cheshire East

Forenames

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First names often paired with Goodwin

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Goodwin

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

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Goodwin is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. 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

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Goodwin is most concentrated in decile 7 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.

7
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Goodwin falls in decile 9 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

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

9
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Goodwin

The surname GOODWIN is of Anglo-Saxon origin and derives from the Old English words "god" meaning "good" and "wine" meaning "friend". It was originally an occupational surname given to someone who was considered a good friend or comrade.

The earliest known record of the surname dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Godwine". This indicates that the name was already well-established in England by the 11th century.

During the Middle Ages, the name was often spelled in various ways, such as "Godwyne", "Godwyn", and "Goodwyne". These variations reflected the different regional dialects and scribal practices of the time.

In the 13th century, a notable bearer of the name was Roger Godwyn, who was a wealthy landowner in Wiltshire, England. Records from that period also mention a Richard Godwin, who was a prominent citizen of London.

In the 16th century, the name appeared in the form of "Goodwin" in the records of St. Mary's Church in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk. This spelling became more common as the English language standardized.

One of the earliest known examples of the surname can be found in the records of the Virginia Company, where a John Goodwin is listed as one of the first settlers in Jamestown, Virginia, in 1607.

Notable historical figures with the surname GOODWIN include Thomas Goodwin (1600-1680), an influential English Puritan theologian and preacher, and John Goodwin (1594-1665), an English Arminian theologian and controversial writer.

In the 18th century, Benjamin Goodwin (1700-1787) was a prominent American silversmith and engraver, known for his work on early American currency. Another notable bearer of the name was Charles Goodwin (1817-1878), an English archdeacon and author.

During the 19th century, Nathaniel Goodwin (1857-1919) was a renowned American actor and playwright, best known for his performances in comedic roles on the vaudeville stage.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Goodwin families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Goodwin 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. Staffordshire leads with 1,889 Goodwins recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.64x.

County Total Index
Staffordshire 1,889 3.64x
Lancashire 1,610 0.88x
Middlesex 1,601 1.04x
Kent 1,160 2.21x
Derbyshire 1,041 4.32x
Cheshire 943 2.78x
Yorkshire 794 0.52x
Surrey 792 1.06x
Essex 529 1.74x
Suffolk 404 2.15x
Lincolnshire 360 1.46x
Warwickshire 350 0.90x
Lanarkshire 308 0.62x
Nottinghamshire 283 1.36x
Norfolk 268 1.13x
Worcestershire 266 1.32x
Leicestershire 210 1.23x
Sussex 207 0.80x
Northamptonshire 203 1.40x
Hampshire 154 0.49x
Bedfordshire 147 1.84x
Durham 135 0.29x
Montgomeryshire 134 3.80x
Shropshire 126 0.95x
Cambridgeshire 118 1.21x
Gloucestershire 118 0.39x
Dunbartonshire 97 2.34x
Stirlingshire 93 1.64x
Hertfordshire 89 0.84x
Flintshire 88 2.13x
Glamorgan 78 0.29x
Herefordshire 75 1.19x
Oxfordshire 67 0.70x
Huntingdonshire 66 2.16x
Berkshire 64 0.55x
Denbighshire 64 1.10x
Renfrewshire 64 0.54x
Monmouthshire 61 0.55x
Radnorshire 59 4.75x
Ayrshire 58 0.50x
Buckinghamshire 54 0.58x
Midlothian 53 0.26x
Devon 51 0.16x
Rutland 46 4.07x
Cumberland 44 0.33x
Northumberland 40 0.17x
Somerset 37 0.15x
Wiltshire 31 0.23x
Westmorland 22 0.65x
Angus 21 0.15x
Isle of Man 17 0.59x
Perthshire 17 0.25x
Brecknockshire 16 0.52x
Argyllshire 14 0.33x
Berwickshire 14 0.75x
Dorset 14 0.14x
Royal Navy 14 0.76x
Pembrokeshire 13 0.27x
Carmarthenshire 12 0.19x
Fife 10 0.11x
Merionethshire 10 0.36x
Wigtownshire 10 0.49x
Dumfriesshire 9 0.26x
Cornwall 8 0.05x
Channel Islands 6 0.13x
Kirkcudbrightshire 6 0.27x
Anglesey 5 0.18x
Peeblesshire 5 0.69x
Buteshire 3 0.32x
Aberdeenshire 2 0.01x
Cardiganshire 1 0.03x
Clackmannanshire 1 0.08x
Roxburghshire 1 0.04x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Stoke Upon Trent in Staffordshire leads with 409 Goodwins recorded in 1881 and an index of 7.42x.

Place Total Index
Stoke Upon Trent 409 7.42x
Manchester 175 2.13x
Wolstanton 170 10.77x
Islington London 163 1.09x
Burslem 158 10.62x
Lambeth 156 1.16x
Camberwell 144 1.46x
Hackney London 144 1.67x
St Pancras London 133 1.07x
Bethnal Green London 128 1.91x
Birmingham 126 0.97x
Leek Lowe 125 18.08x
Macclesfield 113 7.48x
Newington 111 1.95x
Salford 110 2.05x
Sheffield 106 2.18x
Shoreditch London 100 1.50x
Norton In Moors 98 35.63x
Liverpool 92 0.83x
Aston 85 0.80x
Mile End Old Town London 85 2.59x
Hulme 78 2.05x
Barony 71 0.56x
Congleton 67 11.41x
Derby St Werburgh 65 4.67x
Brightside Bierlow 64 2.14x
West Derby 64 1.20x
Bermondsey 61 1.33x
Hartington Upper 60 52.19x
Lewisham 60 2.14x
St George Hanover Square 60 2.21x
Kensington London 59 0.69x
Tonbridge 59 3.11x
Trentham 59 13.35x
Croydon 57 1.37x
Hyde 57 5.68x
Bollington In 55 18.18x
Quarnford 55 238.82x
Chorlton On Medlock 54 1.86x
Leicester St Margaret 54 1.30x
Sutton In Macclesfield 54 15.31x
Govan 53 0.43x
Maidstone 53 3.39x
Nottingham St Mary 53 0.99x
Oldham 53 0.90x
Everton 52 0.89x
Paddington London 51 0.90x
Nether Hallam 49 2.37x
Stockport 49 2.80x
Greenwich 48 1.96x
Portsea 48 0.78x
Deptford St Paul 47 1.16x
Heaton Norris 47 4.52x
Glasgow 46 0.52x
Great Yarmouth 46 2.35x
Kirkintilloch 46 8.19x
Pendleton In Salford 46 2.11x
West Ham 46 0.69x
Wolverhampton 46 1.15x
Blackburn 45 0.93x
Clerkenwell London 45 1.24x
Ecclesall Bierlow 45 1.45x
Harborne 45 2.70x
Staveley 45 10.52x
Chesterfield 43 4.76x
St Luke London 43 1.74x
Toxteth Park 43 0.70x
Battersea 42 0.74x
Chelsea London 41 0.88x
St Marylebone London 41 0.50x
Stafford St Mary 41 5.57x
Walsall Foreign 41 1.53x
Marple 40 17.15x
Cadder 39 10.61x
Broughton In Salford 38 2.28x
Berriew 37 38.04x
Buxton 37 18.14x
Saffron Walden 37 11.52x
Burton Upon Trent 36 2.96x
Dukinfield 36 2.29x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 1,051
Sarah 612
Elizabeth 588
Ann 257
Jane 257
Annie 254
Eliza 246
Emma 238
Alice 217
Ellen 214
Hannah 210
Emily 169
Martha 162
Harriet 118
Margaret 114
Charlotte 103
Maria 102
Edith 97
Caroline 92
Fanny 85
Louisa 84
Florence 81
Catherine 73
Ada 72
Clara 67
Kate 65
Lucy 65
Harriett 60
Frances 58
Agnes 48
Anne 48
Matilda 48
Amelia 46
Julia 43
Rose 43
Esther 42
Susan 42
Minnie 39
Amy 35
Susannah 34
Eleanor 32
Elizth. 28
Jessie 27
Lizzie 27
Lydia 27
Rebecca 26
Sophia 26
Ethel 25
Ruth 25
Gertrude 23

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 872
William 868
George 601
Thomas 516
James 453
Charles 305
Joseph 264
Henry 261
Edward 181
Arthur 174
Alfred 171
Samuel 163
Frederick 139
Robert 139
Richard 119
Walter 104
Harry 101
Albert 100
Edwin 79
Herbert 69
Ernest 61
Frank 61
Benjamin 51
Francis 48
Wm. 41
Thos. 40
David 39
Isaac 36
Daniel 33
Abraham 26
Stephen 25
Fredrick 21
Percy 21
Peter 21
Ralph 20
Geo. 18
Enoch 16
Fred 15
Edmund 14
Fredk. 14
Horace 14
Reuben 14
Chas. 13
Philip 13
Harold 12
Jas. 12
Michael 12
Willm. 12
Edgar 11
Sidney 11

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 Goodwin households.

FAQ

Goodwin surname: questions and answers

How common was the Goodwin surname in 1881?

In 1881, 15,759 people were recorded with the Goodwin surname. That placed it at #254 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Goodwin surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 22,127 in 2016. That gives Goodwin a modern rank of #266.

What does the Goodwin surname mean?

A surname of Anglo-Saxon origin referring to someone who was a good friend or an auspicious person.

What does the Goodwin map show?

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