Home › Baby Names Directory › Geoffrey

Geoffrey

♂ Boy

Pronounced JEF-ree /ˈdʒɛf.ri/High

Meaning: A Norman French form of the Germanic name Godfrey or Gottfried, from elements meaning God or traveler combined with peace, most likely meaning divine peace or peaceful strangerHigh

In 30 seconds: Geoffrey is the medieval Norman form of Jeffrey, meaning peaceful traveler or divine peace. It was the name of knights, kings, and the poet who gave English literature its first masterpiece.

💕 Browse more names

Origin HighGermanic, Old French

MeaningA Norman French form of the Germanic name Godfrey or Gottfried, from elements meaning God or traveler combined with peace, most likely meaning divine peace or peaceful stranger

U.S. rank (2025)#3599 ↘ Falling

2025 U.S. births31 boys (0.00% of U.S. boys)

Peak year1975

Total births (all-time)≈ 54,400

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Geoffrey is the Norman French adaptation of the Germanic compound name elements that appear in forms like Godfrey (God + peace) or Waldfrid (traveler + peace). After the Norman Conquest of 1066, Geoffrey became one of the most common given names in medieval England, carried by knights, bishops, and noblemen.

The name peaked in medieval England and faded in the 17th to 18th centuries, surviving strongly as a respelling Jeffrey in the 20th century. Geoffrey retained its distinctive spelling among more traditional families and literary-minded parents. Famous bearers include Geoffrey Chaucer, whose Canterbury Tales established the foundations of English literature.

Did you know? Geoffrey of Monmouth (c. 1095–1155) invented or popularized much of what we think of as Arthurian legend in his Historia Regum Britanniae, including the story of Merlin — so without a Geoffrey, there might be no Camelot.

Overall data confidence 88%

Behind the Name — Geoffrey — Norman French and Germanic etymologyOxford Dictionary of English Surnames — medieval usage and variant forms

Variations

JeffreyJefferyGodfreyJeffree

Nicknames

JeffGeoff

Famous Bearers

★Geoffrey Chaucer (1343–1400)
English poet and author of The Canterbury Tales, widely regarded as the father of English literature.
★Geoffrey of Monmouth (1095–1155)
Medieval Welsh-Norman cleric and chronicler whose Historia Regum Britanniae popularized the legends of King Arthur and Merlin.

If you like Geoffrey…

Jeffrey— the modern standard spelling of the identical name

Roderick— same medieval Norman heritage and vintage English gentleman feel

Reginald— shares the classic medieval English name tradition

Bailey— shares Geoffrey's Old French roots

Courtney— a similarly popular pick

Explore names like Geoffrey

By themeclassic two-syllable germanic literary old-french medieval norman

By meaningGod / Divine Peace

All themes →All meanings →All origins →

Frequently Asked

What does the name Geoffrey mean?

Geoffrey means divine peace or peaceful traveler, from Old French and Germanic elements combined in the Norman form of Godfrey.

How do you pronounce Geoffrey?

It is pronounced JEF-ree, two syllables with stress on the first — the Ge- is silent as a J sound.

Is Geoffrey a boy or girl name?

Geoffrey is used exclusively as a boys name.

How popular is Geoffrey?

Geoffrey was very popular in medieval England and moderately common through the 20th century; it is now somewhat rare, with Jeffrey being the more common modern spelling.