Goodnight
An English-language surname that likely began as a friendly nickname or greeting-based byname, literally “good night.”
The #9,155 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 86,629 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Goodnight is most likely an English surname formed from the everyday phrase “good night,” used as a nickname, farewell, or possibly an occasional house sign or tavern name. In surname use, such phrases often became hereditary family names without needing a deeper literal meaning. The name is transparent in form: good + night.
History
The surname is found mainly in English-speaking countries, especially the United States, where it likely reflects English or Anglo-American naming habits. Like other phrase-based surnames, it may have arisen independently more than once from a nickname or from an identifying signboard rather than from a single family line. It is uncommon but established in modern records.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Because it is a complete common phrase, Goodnight belongs to a small class of surnames that sound exactly like ordinary English words or expressions.