Geoffrey (name)


Geoffrey is an English 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, German Gottfried 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, Middle Gaelic Gofraig, Godfrey, Irish Gofraidh, Middle Irish Gothfrith, Gofraig, Early Irish Gothfraid, E. Welsh Gothrit. 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.
It was also Anglicised as Jeffrey later. Popularity of the name declined after the medieval period, but it was revived in modern England and the British Empire at large. Modern hypocorisms include Geoff and Jeff.
Jeffrey and its variants are found as surnames, usually ending in -s ; the surname Jefferson is a patronymic version of the given name.

Etymology

The Old French form of the name was Geoffrei, which developed into West Middle French Geoffrey and East Middle French Geoffroy.
Latinised forms include Jotfredus, Jozsfredus, Josfredus and Jofredus, Jofridus, Jaufredus, Geffredus.
The original spelling with Jo- was modified in Geo-. The graphic e after G is used in French to avoid the pronunciation, but instead. The spelling Geo- is probably due to the influence of the first name Georges, derived from Old French Jorre, Joire.
The Old Frankish name Godefrid itself is from the Germanic elements god- and frid-. The Middle Latin form is Godefridus. The second element is widely used in Germanic names, and has a meaning of "peace, protection". The first element god- is conflated from two, or possibly three, distinct roots, i.e. got and possibly *gaut, in origin a tribal name or a theonym.
Albert Dauzat followed by others, argued that the Middle French name Geoffrey 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- and not geo-, i.e. goda-fridu would yield Godefroy but not Geoffroy. On the other hand, *gau- would regularly result in jo-, i.e. *gaut-fridu- would regularly result in Geoffroy.
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, as in Gisalbert > Gilbert, and *walh- would have resulted in *gaul- .

People named Geoffrey or Geoffroy

Middle Ages

Rulers

Writers and chroniclers

Others

Modern world

In film and television

In music

In sports

In politics

In writing

In other fields

Fictional characters