Godwin

Godwin is the 1,603rd most common surname in the United States, shared by 21,784 people at the 2020 census. That is about one person in 13,700.

By the numbers

People: 21,784
Rank: 1,603rd
How common: 1 in 13,700
Per 100,000: 7.3

Where the name comes from

Origin a patronymic

From Old English Godwine (“God's friend”). The component -win is from Old English wine (“friend”).

Etymology from Wiktionary, used under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Who bears the name

How people with the surname Godwin described their own race and Hispanic origin at the 2020 census:

White, not Hispanic 78.8%
Black, not Hispanic 12.3%
Two or more races, not Hispanic 3.9%
Hispanic or Latino 2.8%
American Indian or Alaska Native, not Hispanic 1.4%
Asian or Pacific Islander, not Hispanic 0.9%

Notable people called Godwin

William Godwin (1756–1836)English journalist, political philosopher and novelist
Mike Godwin (born 1956)American attorney and author
Linda M. Godwin (born 1952)American astronaut
Tommy Godwin (1920–2012)English racing cyclist
Francis Godwin (1562–1633)English bishop, historian and writer
Elija Godwin (born 1999)American athlete
Samson Godwin (born 1983)Nigerian footballer
Gail Godwin (born 1937)American novelist and short story writer

People named Godwin with articles in the most Wikipedia languages. Data from Wikidata (CC0).

Surnames like Godwin

Also a first name

Godwin has been given to 578 American babies as a first name since 1914, peaking in 2011. See it as a given name.

Try it on yourself

Source: US Census Bureau, Frequently Occurring Surnames, 2020. The Census describes the file as the surnames borne by 100 or more people; rarer names are not published. The line is not quite exact, and 617 published names come in under it, the smallest at 92 people. Race and Hispanic origin are self-reported. Rates are worked out against the 298.9 million people the file's own figures are calculated on, which is fewer than the census counted in all: the difference is everyone whose surname was too rare to publish.