NameCensus.

UK surname

Goold

An anglicized form of the surname Gould or Gold, derived from the Middle English word "golde" meaning yellow or golden.

In the 1881 census there were 524 people recorded with the Goold surname, ranking it #6,528 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 690, ranked #7,790, down from #6,528 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Govan Combination and Edinburgh. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Bath and North East Somerset, Cornwall and Wokingham.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Goold is 713 in 2014. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 31.7%.

1881 census count

524

Ranked #6,528

Modern count

690

2016, ranked #7,790

Peak year

2014

713 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Goold had 524 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #6,528 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 690 in 2016, ranked #7,790.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 595 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Goold surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Goold surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Goold 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 578 #4,409
1861 historical 573 #4,600
1881 historical 524 #6,528
1891 historical 584 #6,539
1901 historical 595 #7,117
1911 historical 554 #7,244
1997 modern 633 #7,827
1998 modern 681 #7,638
1999 modern 697 #7,542
2000 modern 704 #7,456
2001 modern 690 #7,452
2002 modern 681 #7,677
2003 modern 685 #7,516
2004 modern 693 #7,463
2005 modern 662 #7,674
2006 modern 640 #7,902
2007 modern 651 #7,857
2008 modern 647 #7,942
2009 modern 653 #8,042
2010 modern 673 #8,024
2011 modern 666 #8,003
2012 modern 668 #7,896
2013 modern 709 #7,653
2014 modern 713 #7,662
2015 modern 703 #7,693
2016 modern 690 #7,790

Geography

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Where Goolds are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Govan Combination, Edinburgh and Camerton, Dunkerton. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Bath and North East Somerset, Cornwall, Wokingham, Charnwood and Barnet. 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 Govan Combination Lanark
3 London parishes London 3
4 Edinburgh Edinburgh
5 Camerton, Dunkerton Somerset

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Bath and North East Somerset 022 Bath and North East Somerset
2 Cornwall 035 Cornwall
3 Wokingham 018 Wokingham
4 Charnwood 012 Charnwood
5 Barnet 002 Barnet

Forenames

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First names often paired with Goold

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Goold

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

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Established Homeowners with Children

Within London, Goold is most associated with areas classed as Established Homeowners with Children, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. 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

These predominantly British-born residents are typically married/in civil partnerships and own the properties in which they are raising their children. Parents are typically over 45, and many other residents are beyond normal retirement age. Detached and semi-detached houses predominate and multiple car ownership is common.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Goold 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

Goold falls in decile 10 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.

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Goold is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

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

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Goold

The surname Goold is of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic personal name "Ó Goill" or "Ó Golla," meaning "descendent of the foreigner" or "descendent of the Norseman." This name was originally given to those of Norse or Scandinavian descent who settled in Ireland during the Viking invasions of the 9th and 10th centuries.

The earliest recorded instances of the Goold surname can be found in the medieval Irish annals, where it appears in various spellings, such as "O'Gowill" and "O'Gowle." One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Muircheartach Ó Golla, a prominent chieftain in County Limerick, who lived in the 13th century.

The Goold family was particularly influential in County Cork, where they held extensive landholdings and were considered among the principal septs (clans) of the region. In the 16th century, a branch of the Goold family acquired the manor of Shanagarry, near Cloyne, and became known as the "Gooldes of Shanagarry."

During the Elizabethan and Cromwellian conquests of Ireland, many Goold families were dispossessed of their lands and scattered throughout the country. However, some families managed to retain their estates, including the Gooldes of Shanagarry, who continued to play a prominent role in local affairs until the 18th century.

Notable individuals with the surname Goold include:

1. Edmond Goold (c. 1533-1604), an Irish Catholic priest and scholar who served as the Bishop of Limerick. 2. John Goold (1737-1825), an Irish politician and landowner who represented County Cork in the Irish Parliament. 3. Nathaniel Goold (1781-1857), an Irish-born naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars and later became a successful merchant in London. 4. Thomas Goold (1766-1846), an Irish-born judge and politician who served as the Chief Justice of the Newfoundland Supreme Court and as a member of the Newfoundland House of Assembly. 5. Jasper Goold (1827-1901), an Irish-born Catholic prelate who served as the Bishop of Melbourne, Australia, from 1877 until his death.

While the Goold surname is relatively uncommon today, it remains a proud part of Irish heritage and a testament to the rich cultural diversity that has shaped the country's history and identity.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Goold families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Goold 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. Middlesex leads with 90 Goolds recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.76x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 90 1.76x
Lanarkshire 78 4.73x
Somerset 54 6.58x
Suffolk 45 7.24x
Surrey 41 1.65x
Lancashire 30 0.50x
Staffordshire 23 1.34x
Gloucestershire 20 2.00x
Warwickshire 16 1.24x
Kent 14 0.80x
Renfrewshire 11 2.78x
Nottinghamshire 10 1.45x
Hampshire 9 0.86x
Norfolk 9 1.15x
Essex 6 0.60x
Midlothian 6 0.88x
Yorkshire 6 0.12x
Oxfordshire 5 1.59x
Angus 4 0.85x
Devon 4 0.38x
Hertfordshire 4 1.14x
Monmouthshire 4 1.08x
Worcestershire 4 0.60x
Berkshire 3 0.78x
Glamorgan 3 0.34x
Huntingdonshire 3 2.96x
Shropshire 3 0.68x
Durham 2 0.13x
Northumberland 2 0.26x
Perthshire 2 0.87x
Roxburghshire 2 2.16x
Wiltshire 2 0.44x
Argyllshire 1 0.70x
Cambridgeshire 1 0.31x
Cheshire 1 0.09x
Clackmannanshire 1 2.37x
Herefordshire 1 0.48x
Leicestershire 1 0.18x
Lincolnshire 1 0.12x
Pembrokeshire 1 0.62x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Glasgow in Lanarkshire leads with 33 Goolds recorded in 1881 and an index of 11.26x.

Place Total Index
Glasgow 33 11.26x
Camerton 26 1087.87x
St Pancras London 20 4.87x
Old Monkland 14 21.38x
Barony 12 2.87x
Ipswich St Helen 12 162.82x
Liverpool 12 3.26x
Newington 12 6.37x
Great Bolton 11 13.72x
Islington London 11 2.22x
Willesden 11 22.87x
Nottingham St Mary 10 5.62x
Paisley High Church 9 28.59x
Shoreditch London 9 4.07x
Timsbury 9 361.45x
Handsworth 8 18.85x
Maryhill 8 24.77x
Leamington Priors 7 22.11x
Portsea 7 3.42x
Thornham Magna 7 1400.00x
Armitage 6 267.86x
Aston 6 1.69x
Gorbals 6 61.29x
Lewisham 6 6.46x
Little Dean 6 416.67x
Walsall Foreign 6 6.75x
Yaxley 6 923.08x
Bedminster 5 6.48x
Brent Eleigh 5 1250.00x
Bury St Edmunds St James 5 30.12x
Camberwell 5 1.53x
Clapham 5 7.84x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 5 1.82x
Newnham 5 194.55x
Old Newton 5 416.67x
St George Hanover Square 5 5.56x
Winfarthing 5 476.19x
Aberystruth 4 12.30x
Brabourne 4 305.34x
Chelsea London 4 2.60x
Cowley 4 40.69x
Fulham London 4 5.41x
Glastonbury 4 59.70x
Hackney London 4 1.40x
Kings Norton 4 6.70x
Montrose 4 13.97x
Northowram 4 11.28x
Paddington London 4 2.13x
Penge 4 12.27x
Poplar London 4 4.15x
Streatham 4 10.57x
Ashton In Makerfield 3 17.40x
Bath St Michael 3 72.29x
Cheshunt 3 24.41x
Dawley 3 18.70x
Govan 3 0.74x
Ipswich St Mathew 3 17.23x
Lambeth 3 0.67x
Merthyr Tydfil 3 3.51x
Reigate Foreign 3 11.14x
Rugeley 3 24.27x
Sherbourne 3 857.14x
St George Bloomsbury 3 10.25x
St Marylebone London 3 1.10x
Trull 3 178.57x
Wotton St Mary 3 57.80x
Auchtergaven 2 52.08x
Corsham 2 30.40x
Harlington 2 74.35x
Hawick 2 9.67x
Huntingdon St Mary 2 79.05x
Low Leyton 2 219.78x
New Monkland 2 4.10x
Northam 2 25.84x
Old Buckenham 2 99.50x
Portchester 2 148.15x
Seal 2 71.17x
Swaffham 2 31.35x
Walcot 2 4.57x
Woodford 2 17.54x

Top female names

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

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 24
George 17
John 16
Arthur 11
Thomas 10
Frederick 8
James 8
Robert 8
Edward 7
Alfred 5
Charles 5
Henry 5
Walter 5
Joseph 4
David 3
Harry 3
Hugh 3
Tom 3
Albert 2
Ernest 2
Harold 2
Herbert 2
Jabez 2
Richard 2
Stephen 2
Thos. 2
Uriah 2
Andrew 1
Arch. 1
Denis 1
E.Wm. 1
Ebenezer 1
Edgar 1
Francis 1
Fred.F. 1
Fredric 1
Fredrick 1
Gideon 1
Gissen 1
Job 1
L. 1
Leonard 1
Leopold 1
Mark 1
Matth.H. 1
Montagu 1
Morgan 1
Paul 1
Philip 1
Wm.A. 1

FAQ

Goold surname: questions and answers

How common was the Goold surname in 1881?

In 1881, 524 people were recorded with the Goold surname. That placed it at #6,528 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Goold surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 690 in 2016. That gives Goold a modern rank of #7,790.

What does the Goold surname mean?

An anglicized form of the surname Gould or Gold, derived from the Middle English word "golde" meaning yellow or golden.

What does the Goold map show?

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