Geoffrey is an English and French masculine given name. It is generally considered the Anglo-Norman form of the Germanic compound 'god' and 'peace'. It is a derivative of Dutch

Godfried Godfried is the Dutch form of Geoffrey and Gottfried. It may refer to: *Carel Godfried Willem Hendrik baron van Boetzelaer van Oosterhout (1892–1986), Dutch diplomat and politician *Eugène Godfried (1952–2009), Curaçao-born political activis ...

, German

Gottfried Gottfried is a masculine German given name. It is derived from the Old High German name , recorded since the 7th century. The name is composed of the elements (conflated from the etyma for 'God' and 'good', and possibly further conflated with ) a ...

and Old English Gotfrith and Godfrith. Alexander MacBain considered it as being found in the Gaelic and Welsh forms; potentially before or contemporary to the Anglo-Saxon, with the examples of

Goraidh is an Irish masculine given name, arising in the Old Irish and Middle Irish/Middle Gaelic languages, as , and later partially Anglicised as Goffraid. ' corresponds to the Old Norse ', cognate with Gottfried or ', and Galfrid or '. ''Gofraid''/'' ...

, Middle Gaelic Gofraig (1467 MS.), Godfrey (do.), Irish

Gofraidh is an Irish masculine given name, arising in the Old Irish and Middle Irish/Middle Gaelic languages, as , and later partially Anglicised as Goffraid. ' corresponds to the Old Norse ', cognate with Gottfried or ', and Galfrid or '. ''Gofraid''/'' ...

(F.M.), Middle Irish Gothfrith, Gofraig (Tigernach, 989), Early Irish Gothfraid (Lib. Lein.), E. Welsh Gothrit (Ann. Camb.). Macbain suggested these Celtic forms of the name were closer related to the Anglo-Saxon Godefrid than the Norse Goðröðr, Gudrød or Góröðr; however he does not elaborate further on the origin or relation. The form as 'Geoffrey' was probably introduced to

Norman England England in the High Middle Ages includes the history of England between the Norman Conquest in 1066 and the death of King John, considered by some to be the last of the Angevin kings of England, in 1216. A disputed succession and victory at the ...

. It was also

Anglicised Anglicisation is the process by which a place or person becomes influenced by English culture or British culture, or a process of cultural and/or linguistic change in which something non-English becomes English. It can also refer to the influen ...

as '' Jeffrey'' later after the name became more popular after the likes of President Jefferson. Popularity of the name declined after the medieval period, but it was revived in modern England and the British Empire at large. Modern

hypocorism A hypocorism ( or ; from Ancient Greek: (), from (), 'to call by pet names', sometimes also ''hypocoristic'') or pet name is a name used to show affection for a person. It may be a diminutive form of a person's name, such as ''Izzy'' for I ...

s include ''Geoff'' or ''Jeff''. ''Jeffrey'' and its variants are found as surnames, usually ending in -s (e.g. ''Jefferies'', ''Jaffrays''); The surname Jefferson is also a patronymic version of the given name.

Etymology

The

Old French Old French (, , ; Modern French: ) was the language spoken in most of the northern half of France from approximately the 8th to the 14th centuries. Rather than a unified language, Old French was a linkage of Romance dialects, mutually intelligi ...

form of the name was ''Geoffrei'' ( ʒɔfrej, which developed into West

Middle French Middle French (french: moyen français) is a historical division of the French language that covers the period from the 14th to the 16th century. It is a period of transition during which: * the French language became clearly distinguished from t ...

''Geoffrey'' and East Middle French ''Geoffroy''. Latinised forms include ''Jotfredus'', ''Jozsfredus'', ''Josfredus'' (10th century) and ''Jof edus'', ''Jofridus'', ''Jaufredus'', ''Geffredus'' (11th century). The original spelling with ''Jo-'' was modified in ''Geo-''. The graphic ''e'' after ''G'' is used in French to avoid the pronunciation o but �ɔinstead. The spelling ''Geo-'' is probably due to the influence of the first name ''

Georges Georges may refer to: Places *Georges River, New South Wales, Australia *Georges Quay (Dublin) * Georges Township, Fayette County, Pennsylvania Other uses * Georges (name) * ''Georges'' (novel), a novel by Alexandre Dumas * "Georges" (song), a 19 ...

'', derived from Old French ''Jorre'', ''Joire''. The Old Frankish name ''Godefrid'' itself is from the Germanic elements ''god-'' and '' frid-''. The

Middle Latin Medieval Latin was the form of Literary Latin used in Roman Catholic Western Europe during the Middle Ages. In this region it served as the primary written language, though local languages were also written to varying degrees. Latin functioned ...

form is ''Godefridus'' (whence also ''

Godfrey Godfrey may refer to: People * Godfrey (name), a given name and surname * Godfrey (comedian), American comedian, actor Places In the United States * Godfrey, Georgia, an unincorporated community * Godfrey, Illinois, a village * Godfrey, Kansas, an ...

''). The second element is widely used in

Germanic name Germanic given names are traditionally dithematic; that is, they are formed from two elements, by joining a prefix and a suffix. For example, King Æþelred's name was derived from ', for "noble", and ', for "counsel". However, there are also ...

s, and has a meaning of "peace, protection". The first element ''god-'' is conflated from two, or possibly three, distinct roots, ie ''got'' and possibly '' *gaut'', in origin a tribal name (

Geats The Geats ( ; ang, gēatas ; non, gautar ; sv, götar ), sometimes called ''Goths'', were a large North Germanic tribe who inhabited ("land of the Geats") in modern southern Sweden from antiquity until the late Middle Ages. They are one of t ...

Goths The Goths ( got, 𐌲𐌿𐍄𐌸𐌹𐌿𐌳𐌰, translit=''Gutþiuda''; la, Gothi, grc-gre, Γότθοι, Gótthoi) were a Germanic people who played a major role in the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the emergence of medieval Euro ...

) or a theonym (a byname of Wotan). Albert Dauzat (1951, rev. ed. 1980) followed by others, argued that the Middle French name ''Geoffrey'' in fact retains a distinction between two Germanic names which became conflated in the Middle Ages. According to this argument, ''Godfrey'' continues ''*goda-friþu-'', while ''Geoffroy'' continues ''*gaut-friþu-''. If a strictly phonetic development is assumed, ''Geoffrey'' cannot be derived from ''Godfrid'', as ''*go-'' would result in Old French ''go-'' ( ɔ and not ''geo-'' (''jo-'', ʒɔ, ie ''goda-fridu'' would yield ''Godefroy'' odfrwabut not ''Geoffroy''. On the other hand, ''*gau-'' awwould regularly result in ''jo-'' (''geo-'' ʒɔ,for example,

Late Latin Late Latin ( la, Latinitas serior) is the scholarly name for the form of Literary Latin of late antiquity.Roberts (1996), p. 537. English dictionary definitions of Late Latin date this period from the , and continuing into the 7th century in the ...

''*gauta'' gave Old French ''jöe'' and Modern French ''joue'' "cheek", and Latin ''gaudia'' gave French ''joie'' "joy". . In the

history of the French language French is a Romance language (meaning that it is descended primarily from Vulgar Latin) that specifically is classified under the Gallo-Romance languages. The discussion of the history of a language is typically divided into "external history ...

, there is a regular palatalisation of > ʒ> � before � but not before where was maintained. i.e ''*gaut-fridu-'' would regularly result in ''Geoffroy'' ʒɔf:rwa Alternative suggestions which would derive the first element from Germanic ''gisal-'' 'hostage', or '' w(e)alah'' 'Gallo-Roman; stranger' are also rejected by Dauzat as phonetically impossible: ''gi'' would have resulted in Old French ʒi(Modern French �i, as in ''Gisalbert'' > ''

Gilbert Gilbert may refer to: People and fictional characters *Gilbert (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters *Gilbert (surname), including a list of people Places Australia * Gilbert River (Queensland) * Gilbert River (South A ...

'' (ie ''*Gisalfrid'' > ''*Giffrey''), and ''*w(e)alh-'' would have resulted in ''*gaul-'' ol(ie ''*Wealhfrid'' > ''*Gaulfrey'', ''*Gauffrey'').

List of people called Geoffrey

In television and film

* Geoff Dolan, New Zealand actor, singer and corporate entertainer * Geoff Edwards, American actor and game-show host * Geoff Eigenmann, Filipino actor, host and model * Geoff Harvey, Australian musician and television personality * Geoffrey Hayes, English television presenter and actor * Geoffrey Holder, Trinidadian-American actor * Geoffrey Lewis, American actor * Geoff Morrell, Australian actor * Geoff Murphy, New Zealand film director, writer and assistant director * Geoffrey Palmer, English actor * Geoffrey Perkins, British radio and television producer *

Geoff Peterson Geoff Peterson is an Animatronics, animatronic human skeleton that served as the sidekick on the late-night talk show ''The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson''. He was voiced and operated by Josh Robert Thompson and first appeared on ''The Late ...

, robotic sidekick on ''The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson'' *

Geoffrey Rush Geoffrey Roy Rush (born 6 July 1951) is an Australian actor. He is known for his eccentric leading man roles on stage and screen. He is among 24 people who have won the Triple Crown of Acting, having received an Academy Award, a Primetime Em ...

, Australian actor * Geoff Thompson, British writer, film director and self-defence expert * Geoffrey Wright, Australian film director

In sports

Geoff Abrams Geoff Abrams (born May 10, 1978) is an American former tennis player. Abrams was ranked # 1 in the U.S. in the Boys 14s singles in 1992. In 1994, he finished the year ranked # 1 in doubles in the USTA Boys' 16 rankings with Michael Russell. T ...

, American tennis player * Geoffrey Edward Beck (1918–2019), English cricketer and minister * Geoff Bent, one of the eight Manchester United players that lost their lives in the Munich air disaster * Geoff Blum, infielder in Major League Baseball * Geoff Bodine, NASCAR driver * Geoff Boss, ChampCar and IMSA driver *

Geoffrey Boycott Sir Geoffrey Boycott (born 21 October 1940) is a former Test cricketer, who played cricket for Yorkshire and England. In a prolific and sometimes controversial playing career from 1962 to 1986, Boycott established himself as one of England's m ...

, former England cricketer * Geoff Capes, former British shot put champion and two-time World's Strongest Man winner * Geoffrey Cheah, Hong Kong competitive swimmer *

Geoff Collins Geoff Collins may refer to: * Geoff Collins (American football), American college football coach * Geoff Collins (Australian rules footballer) Geoffrey Anthony Collins (10 August 1926 – 14 August 2005) was an Australian rules football play ...

, Head Football (American) Coach at Georgia Tech * Geoffrey Gray (born 1997), American-Israeli professional basketball player in the

Israeli Basketball Premier League Ligat HaAl ( he, ליגת העל, lit., ''Supreme League or Premier League''), or the Israeli Basketball Premier League, is the top-tier level league of professional competition in Israeli club basketball, making it Israel's primary basketball ...

Geoff Grover Geoffrey David "Geoff" Grover (19 September 1943 – 12 April 2017), was a former Australian rules footballer who played for two seasons with the Caulfield Grammarians Football Club in the Victorian Amateur Football Association, and was a busi ...

, Australian Rules Footballer with St Kilda and Port Melbourne * Geoff Horsfield, English football player * Geoff Howarth, New Zealand cricketer *

Geoff Hudson Geoffrey Alan Hudson (14 October 1931 – December 2015) was an English professional footballer. Born in Leeds, he played for Bradford Park Avenue, Bradford City, Halifax Town, Exeter City, Crewe Alexandra, Gillingham, Lincoln City and Rothe ...

, English footballer *

Geoff Hunt Geoffrey Brian Hunt, (born 11 March 1947), is a retired Australian squash player who is widely considered to be one of the greatest squash players in history. He was ranked the World No.1 squash player from 1975 to 1980. He won the World O ...

, Australian squash player, ranked the World No.1 squash player from 1975 to 1980 *

Geoff Hurst Sir Geoffrey Charles Hurst (born 8 December 1941) is an English former professional footballer. A striker, he became the first man to score a hat-trick in a World Cup final when England recorded a 4–2 victory over West Germany at Wembley St ...

, the only footballer to score a hat-trick in a World Cup final *

Geoff Jenkins Geoffrey Scott Jenkins (born July 21, 1974) is an American former professional baseball outfielder, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Milwaukee Brewers (1998–2007) and Philadelphia Phillies (2008). He is fourth on the Brewe ...

, outfielder in Major League Baseball * Geoff Ogilvy, Australian golfer, winner of the 2006 US Open * Geoff Roes, ultra-runner, Western States 100 Endurance Run record holder *

Geoff Rowley Geoffrey Joseph Rowley Jr. (born 6 June 1976) is an English professional skateboarder, former co-owner of Flip Skateboards and owner of the Civilware Service Corporation. He received ''Thrasher Magazine'' "Skater of the Year" award in 2000. Ea ...

, professional skateboarder * Geoff Sanderson, forward in the National Hockey League * Geoff Schwartz, American NFL football player (

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. ...

) * Geoff Toovey, Rugby League Coach for the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles

In literature

* Geoffrey Chaucer, English author, poet, philosopher, bureaucrat, and diplomat * Geoffrey Household (1900–1988), British writer *

Geoff Johns Geoffrey Johns (born January 25, 1973) is an American comic book writer, screenwriter, and film and television producer. Johns's work on the DC Comics characters Green Lantern, Aquaman, Flash and Superman, has drawn critical acclaim. He se ...

, American writer of comic books *

Geoffrey Moorhouse Geoffrey Moorhouse, Royal Geographical Society, FRGS, Royal Society of Literature, FRSL, Doctor of Letters, D.Litt. (29 November 1931 – 26 November 2009) was an English journalist and author. He was born Geoffrey Heald in Bolton and took his ste ...

(1931–2009), British writer

In music

Geoff Barrow Geoffrey Paul Barrow (born 9 December 1971) is an English music producer, composer, and DJ. He is a member of the bands Portishead, Beak and supergroup Quakers, and has scored several films. Portishead—formed in 1991—was named after th ...

, producer/instrumentalist for the band, Portishead * Geoffrey Arnold Beck, is an English rock guitarist who played with

The Yardbirds The Yardbirds are an English rock band, formed in London in 1963. The band's core lineup featured vocalist and harmonica player Keith Relf, drummer Jim McCarty, rhythm guitarist and later bassist Chris Dreja and bassist/producer Paul Samw ...

* Geoff Berner, Canadian singer-songwriter on the accordion * Geoffrey Burgon, English composer * Geoff Castellucci, bass vocalist for the Orlando, Florida-based a cappella group, VoicePlay * Geoff Downes, keyboard player known for his work with

The Buggles The Buggles were an English new wave band formed in London in 1977 by singer and bassist Trevor Horn and keyboardist Geoff Downes. They are best known for their 1979 debut single " Video Killed the Radio Star", which topped the UK Singles Ch ...

Yes Yes or YES may refer to: * An affirmative particle in the English language; see yes and no Education * YES Prep Public Schools, Houston, Texas, US * YES (Your Extraordinary Saturday), a learning program from the Minnesota Institute for Talente ...

and

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an ...

Geoff Emerick Geoffrey Ernest Emerick (5 December 1945 – 2 October 2018) was an English sound engineer and record producer who worked with the Beatles on their albums '' Revolver'' (1966), ''Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'' (1967) and '' Abbey Roa ...

, recording studio audio engineer, who is best known for his work with the Beatles * Geoffrey Gordon, American composer * Geoff Nicholls, former keyboard player for

Black Sabbath Black Sabbath were an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. They are often cited as pioneers of heavy metal music. The band helped de ...

* Geoff Richardson, multi-instrumentalist for Caravan * Geoff Rickly, lead singer and lyricist of the Post-Hardcore band Thursday *

Geoff Stone Geoffrey Stone (10 April 1924 – August 1993) was an English footballer who made 35 appearances in the Football League playing as a centre half for Notts County and Darlington. He went on to play non-league football for Consett Con ...

, percussionist for Drastic Fall * Geoff Tate, American rock singer, former member of the band Queensryche *

Geoff Wigington Waterparks is an American rock band formed in Houston, Texas in 2011. The group currently consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Awsten Knight, backing vocalist and lead guitarist Geoff Wigington, and backing vocalist and drummer Otto ...

, guitarist for pop punk band

Waterparks A water park (or waterpark, water world) is an amusement park that features water play areas such as swimming pools, water slides, splash pads, water playgrounds, and lazy rivers, as well as areas for floating, bathing, swimming, and other baref ...

In politics

* Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, British Conservative Party politician * Geoffrey Cox, British Conservative politician * Geoffrey Dickens, British Conservative politician *

Geoffrey Howe Richard Edward Geoffrey Howe, Baron Howe of Aberavon, (20 December 1926 – 9 October 2015) was a British Conservative politician who served as Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1989 to 1990. Howe was Margaret Thatcher ...

, British Conservative politician and former Deputy Prime Minister

In history

Geoffrey, Duke of Brittany Geoffrey II ( br, Jafrez; , xno, Geoffroy; 23 September 1158 – 19 August 1186) was Duke of Brittany and 3rd Earl of Richmond between 1181 and 1186, through his marriage to Constance, Duchess of Brittany. Geoffrey was the fourth of five so ...

, son of King Henry II of England and brother of

King Richard King Richard normally refers to the three English monarchs. English monarchs *Richard I of England or Richard the Lionheart (1157–1199) *Richard II of England (1367–1400) *Richard III of England (1452–1485) Although no monarch has assumed th ...

and

King John King John may refer to: Rulers * John, King of England (1166–1216) * John I of Jerusalem (c. 1170–1237) * John Balliol, King of Scotland (c. 1249–1314) * John I of France (15–20 November 1316) * John II of France (1319–1364) * John I o ...

* Geoffrey (archbishop of York), illegitimate son of King Henry II of England, Bishop of Lincoln and Archbishop of York *

Geoffrey (Dean of Lincoln) Geoffrey ''sometimes known as Geoffrey Kirtling or Kytlynge,'' was a Priest in the Roman Catholic Church. Career He was appointed Dean of Lincoln between 1181 and 1182. In 1169, although according to some sources, this may be 1176 he was a Prebe ...

, 12th-century English Roman Catholic priest *

Geoffrey of Monmouth Geoffrey of Monmouth ( la, Galfridus Monemutensis, Galfridus Arturus, cy, Gruffudd ap Arthur, Sieffre o Fynwy; 1095 – 1155) was a British cleric from Monmouth, Wales and one of the major figures in the development of British historiograph ...

, Welsh cleric and chronicler *

Geoffrey Norman Blainey Geoffrey Norman Blainey (born 11 March 1930) is an Australian historian, academic, best selling author and commentator. He is noted for having written authoritative texts on the economic and social history of Australia, including '' The Tyrann ...

, Australian historian and political commentator * Gioffre Borgia, Prince of

Squillace Squillace ( grc, Σκυλλήτιον ''Skylletion''; grc-x-medieval, Σκυλάκιον ''Skylakion'') is an ancient town and ''comune'', in the Province of Catanzaro, part of Calabria, southern Italy, facing the Gulf of Squillace. Squillace ...

, illegitimate son of

Pope Alexander VI Pope Alexander VI ( it, Alessandro VI, va, Alexandre VI, es, Alejandro VI; born Rodrigo de Borja; ca-valencia, Roderic Llançol i de Borja ; es, Rodrigo Lanzol y de Borja, lang ; 1431 – 18 August 1503) was head of the Catholic Churc ...

and brother of

Lucrezia Borgia Lucrezia Borgia (; ca-valencia, Lucrècia Borja, links=no ; 18 April 1480 – 24 June 1519) was a Spanish-Italian noblewoman of the House of Borgia who was the daughter of Pope Alexander VI and Vannozza dei Cattanei. She reigned as the Gover ...

Cesare Borgia Cesare Borgia (; ca-valencia, Cèsar Borja ; es, link=no, César Borja ; 13 September 1475 – 12 March 1507) was an Italian ex- cardinal and '' condottiero'' (mercenary leader) of Aragonese (Spanish) origin, whose fight for power was a major ...

and Giovanni Borgia *

Geoffrey Rudolph Elton Sir Geoffrey Rudolph Elton (born Gottfried Rudolf Otto Ehrenberg; 17 August 1921 – 4 December 1994) was a German-born British political and constitutional historian, specialising in the Tudor period. He taught at Clare College, Cambridge, and w ...

, British historian of the Tudor period *

Geoffrey Plantagenet, Count of Anjou Geoffrey V (24 August 1113 – 7 September 1151), called the Handsome, the Fair (french: link=no, le Bel) or Plantagenet, was the count of Anjou, Touraine and Maine by inheritance from 1129, and also Duke of Normandy by conquest from 1144. His ...

, Duke of Normandy, founder of the House of Plantagenet

In other fields

Geoffrey Beene Geoffrey Beene (born Samuel Albert Bozeman Jr.; August 30, 1924 – September 28, 2004) was an American fashion designer. Beene was one of New York's most famous fashion designers, recognized for his artistic and technical skills and for creati ...

(1927–2004), American fashion designer, born Samuel Albert Bozeman, Jr *

Geoff Dixon Geoff Dixon (born 1939 in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Australia) is an Australian corporate executive and former CEO and managing director of Qantas. Qantas Geoff Dixon was appointed chief executive officer and managing director of Qantas in ...

, Australian corporate executive * Geoffrey Evans (1940-2012) English-born Irish serial killer * Geoffrey C. Hazard Jr., American law professor * Geoffrey Hinton, British computer scientist * Geoffrey Langlands (1917–2019), British Army officer and educator *

Geoffroy Lejeune Geoffroy Lejeune (born 3 September 1988) is a French journalist. He was the editor-in-chief of '' Valeurs actuelles'' which is associated with the far right. In August 2023 he was made editor-in-chief of ''Le Journal du Dimanche''. Early life G ...

(born 1988), French journalist * Geoff Lloyd, British radio DJ * Geoffrey Ma, Chief Justice of Hong Kong *

Geoffrey Massey Geoffrey Massey (29 October 19241 December 2020) was a Canadian architect and urban planner noted for his modernism-inspired architectural works. He was known for his partnership with architect Arthur Erickson that produced notable designs in ...

(1924–2020), Canadian architect and urban planner * Geoff Morrell, American journalist and public affairs official *

Geoffrey Pleyers Geoffrey Pleyers is an F.R.S.–FNRS researcher and professor of sociology at Université Catholique de Louvain, Belgium, where he chairs the research program "Social Movements in the Global Age". He is the author of the book "Alter-Globalization. ...

, Belgian sociologist and researcher * Geoff Ramsey, American voice actor and film producer *

Geoffrey Russom Geoffrey Richard Russom is an American philologist who is Professor Emeritus of English at Brown University. Biography Russom received his B.A. cum laude with Departmental Honors from Stanford University in June 1968, his M.A. from Stony Brook ...

, American philologist *

Geoffrey See Geoffrey See is an entrepreneur, founder and Chairman of non-profit group Choson Exchange, which supports change in North Korea through exposure to knowledge and information in business, entrepreneurship and law. The organization has trained more ...

, entrepreneur and startup ecosystem builder in North Korea

References

{{given name, Geoffrey English masculine given names French masculine given names Lists of people by given name de:Geoffrey eo:Geoffrey fr:Geoffroy ja:ジェフ