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Goodman Family History

Goodman Name Meaning

English: from the Middle English personal name Godeman Old English Gōdmann composed of the elements gōd ‘good’ or god ‘god’ + man ‘man’. English: status name from Middle English gode ‘good’ + man ‘man’ in part from use as a term for the master of a household. In Scotland the term denoted a landowner who held his land not directly from the crown but from a feudal vassal of the king. English: from the Middle English personal name Gudmund Godmund (from the Old English personal name Gūthmund composed of the elements gūth ‘battle’ + mund ‘protection’ or the Old Norse cognate Guthmundr). Americanized form of Jewish Gutman German Gutmann or its Dutch cognate Goedman.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


Similar surnames: Goodson, Gorman, Holdman, Woodman, Bodman, Gottman, Goodbar, Goleman

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Where is the Goodman family from?

You can see how Goodman families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Goodman family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Goodman families were found in USA in 1880. In 1840 there were 91 Goodman families living in Pennsylvania. This was about 15% of all the recorded Goodman's in USA. Pennsylvania had the highest population of Goodman families in 1840.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Goodman surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Goodman ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Laborer and Housewife were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Goodman. 13% of Goodman men worked as a Laborer and 6% of Goodman women worked as a Housewife. Some less common occupations for Americans named Goodman were Clerk and Clerk. .

View Census Data for Goodman | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1940

  • Laborer
    13%
  • Farmer
    11%
  • Salesman
    10%
  • Clerk
    3%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Housewife
    6%
  • Stenographer
    6%
  • Maid
    5%
  • Clerk
    5%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Goodman family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 487,000 census records available for the last name Goodman. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Goodman census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search US census records for Goodman

Passenger Lists

There are 60,000 immigration records available for the last name Goodman. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the USA, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

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Draft Cards

There are 69,000 military records available for the last name Goodman. For the veterans among your Goodman ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

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What is the average Goodman lifespan?

Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Goodman life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1940, and highest in 2004. The average life expectancy for Goodman in 1940 was 27, and 75 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Goodman

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