# Goodman (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/goodman/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | not recorded |
| Type | not recorded |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 73,136 |
| US rank (2010) | 451 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 4,222 people |
| Change since 2000 | +2.3% (71,482 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /ˈɡʊd.mən/, 2 syllables |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Etymology

Compound of good + man.

## Who carries it

Share of people named Goodman in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 78% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 16% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.4% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.6% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 1.0% |
| Two or more races | 1.8% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Goodman in the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom.

## People named Goodman

- John Goodman, American actor
- Benny Goodman, American jazz clarinetist and bandleader (1909–1986)
- Amy Goodman, American journalist (1957-)
- Nelson Goodman, American philosopher (1906–1998)
- Paul Goodman, American writer and public intellectual (1911–1972)
- Carolyn Goodman, American politician
- Dody Goodman, American actress (1914-2008)
- Jerry Goodman, American violinist (born 1949)
- Steve Goodman, American folk music singer-songwriter
- Henry Goodman, British actor (born 1950)
- Oscar Goodman, American attorney and politician
- Brian Goodman, American actor

and 11 more on Wikidata.

## Similar surnames

Gutman, Guttman, Getman.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.