Godfrey Surname

4,007th
Most Common
surname in the World

Approximately 140,339 people bear this surname

Most prevalent in:
Tanzania
Highest density in:
Tanzania

Godfrey Surname Definition:

This surname is derived from the name of an ancestor. 'the son of Godfrey'; v. Geoffrey. Godfrey of Lorraine, the famous Crusader, made this personal name as familiar as did Coeur de Lion his own. But Richard was an Englishman, and Godfrey was not.

Read More About This Surname

Godfrey Surname Distribution Map

By incidenceBy frequencyBy rank
Incidence (high to low)Incidence (low to high)Alphabetic A-ZAlphabetic Z-ARank (high to low)Rank (low to high)
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
Tanzania50,5331:1,048137
United States38,8001:9,3421,133
England16,1401:3,452465
Nigeria12,9661:13,6621,381
Australia5,8841:4,588663
Canada3,6111:10,2041,521
South Africa2,1971:24,6603,140
Kenya1,8441:25,0432,823
New Zealand1,1981:3,780600
Scotland6731:7,9551,183
Wales6541:4,732514
Uganda6331:61,6737,105
Jamaica5931:4,840648
Northern Ireland4201:4,393859
Botswana3641:6,008983
Papua New Guinea3311:24,6342,717
Ireland3091:15,2391,721
Hong Kong2531:28,994518
Liberia2451:17,9941,832
Zimbabwe2401:64,3269,676
India2351:3,264,10895,059
Malawi1521:112,62614,290
France1481:448,80264,499
Malaysia1391:212,18912,377
United Arab Emirates1361:67,3706,326
Belize1091:3,261654
Spain1021:458,35323,817
Thailand881:802,708129,613
Singapore731:75,4483,146
Germany591:1,364,49985,126
Cameroon581:358,08731,912
Dominican Republic541:193,2027,170
Mexico491:2,533,18821,064
Bahamas481:8,161696
Honduras451:195,9212,232
Bermuda441:1,484241
Cayman Islands391:1,638210
Costa Rica391:122,5661,902
Netherlands381:444,39944,765
Guernsey371:1,742400
Rwanda361:315,6941,449
Sudan361:1,041,9503,038
Nicaragua351:172,0312,375
Israel291:295,09125,768
Jersey291:3,421664
Isle of Man281:3,065663
Iraq261:1,346,98715,017
Argentina251:1,709,73790,467
China241:56,971,7323,099
Solomon Islands231:25,2194,941
Zambia231:689,12726,212
Denmark221:256,57819,736
Iceland211:18,1001,499
Sweden211:468,89333,666
Peru201:1,589,20622,980
Brazil191:11,267,070228,483
Philippines191:5,328,328173,877
Malta181:23,9041,289
Cyprus171:52,0525,162
Norway161:321,39331,311
Sri Lanka161:1,300,5359,151
Ghana151:1,801,37911,532
Switzerland151:547,52838,365
Estonia121:110,15019,471
United States Virgin Islands121:9,1981,357
Czechia101:1,063,34780,937
Russia101:14,412,306394,810
Belgium91:1,277,40587,318
Qatar91:262,00030,726
South Sudan91:1,268,3421,210
Guyana81:95,2786,792
Pakistan81:22,330,48677,733
Monaco71:5,295668
Oman71:526,8535,771
Antigua and Barbuda61:16,5281,436
Ecuador61:2,650,97426,148
Italy61:10,192,781121,657
Egypt51:18,387,15162,330
Indonesia51:26,449,839597,308
Trinidad and Tobago51:272,79511,064
Finland41:1,374,17650,379
Kuwait41:950,17418,811
Portugal41:2,604,56016,079
Sierra Leone41:1,772,408958
Venezuela41:7,551,01953,668
Brunei31:139,5773,009
Colombia31:15,924,69128,711
Japan31:42,614,76459,022
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines31:37,5531,173
South Korea31:17,080,0852,793
Turks and Caicos Islands31:11,443596
Austria21:4,257,71899,224
Azerbaijan21:4,824,56142,415
Barbados21:143,7241,981
Bulgaria21:3,489,45264,958
Croatia21:2,114,30285,143
DR Congo21:36,939,785260,488
Ethiopia21:48,773,13129,601
Greece21:5,539,895129,142
Saint Lucia21:89,3902,918
Senegal21:7,289,6718,117
Turkey21:38,910,711171,901
Afghanistan11:32,153,18360,828
American Samoa11:55,7583,072
Angola11:26,989,21411,853
Bahrain11:1,348,60810,432
Bangladesh11:159,356,77326,077
Benin11:10,335,602103,742
Chile11:17,616,47493,597
Fiji11:894,3914,568
French Polynesia11:280,8057,211
Gibraltar11:33,9541,660
Grenada11:108,5351,793
Guinea11:11,833,8173,268
Hungary11:9,816,27773,288
Iran11:76,782,524277,718
Ivory Coast11:23,071,23276,679
Kazakhstan11:17,682,496204,010
Laos11:6,588,3231,961
Lebanon11:5,637,08332,436
Lesotho11:2,032,55823,402
Luxembourg11:580,54215,155
Maldives11:404,1727,269
Mauritius11:1,293,41716,552
Montserrat11:4,947471
Mozambique11:27,261,5697,432
Namibia11:2,409,40119,676
New Caledonia11:276,22310,363
Norfolk Island11:2,295315
Poland11:38,008,749231,653
Puerto Rico11:3,550,1399,109
Saint Kitts and Nevis11:55,1991,294
Saudi Arabia11:30,855,81763,028
Slovakia11:5,336,450140,422
Show All Nations
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
Ireland5641:7,8541,202
Incidence (high to low)Incidence (low to high)Alphabetic A-ZAlphabetic Z-ARank (high to low)Rank (low to high)
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
England8,5531:2,850407
Scotland1951:19,1961,951
Wales1271:12,350753
Guernsey121:2,721462
Jersey71:7,4121,296
Isle of Man41:13,5671,192
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
United States7,1231:7,050886

Godfrey (703,847) may also be a first name.

Godfrey Surname Meaning

From Where Does The Surname Originate? meaning and history

This surname is derived from the name of an ancestor. 'the son of Godfrey'; v. Geoffrey. Godfrey of Lorraine, the famous Crusader, made this personal name as familiar as did Coeur de Lion his own. But Richard was an Englishman, and Godfrey was not. Therefore in this country, at least, Richard obtained the superiority. But coming at the epoch of hereditary surnames both have wielded an enormous influence upon nomenclature.

'And-sire Godefray Gowel.': Piers.

Henricus fil. Godefridi, 7 Henry II: Pipe Roll.

Peter fil Godfrey, Norfolk, 1273. Hundred Rolls.

Alan Godefray, Kent, ibid.

Willelmus Godefray, 1379: Poll Tax of Yorkshire.

1614. Baptised — Elizabeth, d. Stephen Godfrye: St. Mary Aldermary (London).

— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (1896) by Charles Wareing Endell Bardsley

The ON. personal name Gudrodr, 'God's peace,' was early borrowed by the Gaels, appearing as Gofraig in Middle Gaelic (1467 MS.), in modern Gaelic as Goraidh. From it comes Macgorrie, Macgorry, which see.

— The Surnames of Scotland (1946) by George Fraser Black (1866-1948)

(Anglo-French-Teut. and English) God-Peace [the common French Godefroy represents O.Ger. Godafrid, &c. (mod. Gottfried)—O.Sax. Old English Dutchgod = O.H.Ger. got =O.N. goð, guð= Gothic guþ, God, a god+O.Sax. Old Englishfriþu=Dut. vrede = O.H.Ger. fridu=O.N. friþ-r (found in Gothic only in Friþareik-s = Friedrich = Frederick] Godfrith was not a common Anglo-Saxon name.

Alan Godefray.—Hundred Rolls Cp. Geoffrey, Jaffrey.

— Surnames of the United Kingdom (1912) by Henry Harrison

This well known English name (of German origin) does duty in Ireland for Mac Gothraidh, the name of a branch of the Maguires of Fermanagh, which is also anglicized MacCorry, MacCurry, MacGorry (with and without the prefix Mac). MIF 67

— A Guide to Irish Names (1964) by Edward MacLysaght

“God’s Peace”, varied as Geoffray, Jeffrey, Jeffries.

— South African Surnames (1965) by Eric Rosenthal

(Eng) Descendant of Godfrey (God's peace).

— Dictionary of American Family Names (1956) by Elsdon Coles Smith

An ancient Teutonic personal name-the same as Geoffrey. The form Goisfridus is very common in Domesd. The Godfreys of Brook-Street House, Kent, are supposed to be descended from Godfrey le Fauconer, lord of the manor of Hurst in that county, in the reign of Henry II. R.L.G.

— Patronymica Britannica (1860) by Mark Antony Lower

(German.) God's peace, godlike peace, from God and frid or frede, peace, or from Gau—fred, joyful peace.

— An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names (1857) by William Arthur

See Godefroy. Hence the Baronets Godfrey.

— The Norman People (1874)

From the Old Norse, Guðfriðr; from the Danish, Godfred; in the Domesday Book, Godefrid; from the French, Godefroy; a personal name.

— British Family Names: Their Origin and Meaning (1903) by Henry Barber

The Godfreys have one of their principal homes in the east of England, in Cambridgeshire, Beds, Herts, Leicestershire, etc.; and it is remarkable that six centuries ago the name in one form or another was still common in Cambridgeshire, and also occurred in the adjoining counties of Norfolk and Lincoln (H. R.). Wisbech is the residence of the name in this county. The Godfreys of the west of England are gathered together in the counties of Somerset and Gloucester.

— Homes of Family Names in Great Britain (1890) by Henry Brougham Guppy
DNA test information
Display Statistics on:

Godfrey Demographics

Average Godfrey Salary in
United States

$42,828 USD

Per year
Rank:
657,027 of 1,180,305
Percentage of all salaries earned by bearers:
0.0105588
Rank: 1,133 of 1,181,369
Percentage of national average salary:
99.25%
Sample size: 21,026 (2014)

Average Salary in
United States

$43,149 USD

Per year
Per month:
$3,596 USD
Per week:
$799 USD
Per day:
$118 USD

View the highest/lowest earning families in The United States

Godfrey Last Name Facts

Where Does The Last Name Godfrey Come From? nationality or country of origin

Godfrey (Marathi: गोद्फरेय, Russian: Годфрей) occurs in Tanzania more than any other country/territory. It may be found as:. Click here for other possible spellings of this surname.

How Common Is The Last Name Godfrey? popularity and diffusion

It is the 4,007th most frequently occurring family name on a global scale It is held by approximately 1 in 51,928 people. The surname is predominantly found in Africa, where 49 percent of Godfrey are found; 38 percent are found in East Africa and 37 percent are found in East Bantu Africa. Godfrey is also the 1,372nd most frequently used first name globally. It is borne by 703,847 people.

This last name is most common in Tanzania, where it is carried by 50,533 people, or 1 in 1,048. In Tanzania Godfrey is primarily found in: Kagera Region, where 11 percent live, Dar es Salaam Region, where 11 percent live and Arusha Region, where 8 percent live. Without taking into account Tanzania this last name occurs in 133 countries. It is also common in The United States, where 28 percent live and England, where 12 percent live.

Godfrey Family Population Trend historical fluctuation

The incidence of Godfrey has changed through the years. In The United States the share of the population with the surname rose 545 percent between 1880 and 2014; in England it rose 189 percent between 1881 and 2014; in Scotland it rose 345 percent between 1881 and 2014; in Wales it rose 515 percent between 1881 and 2014 and in Ireland it fell 45 percent between 1901 and 2014.

Godfrey Last Name Statistics demography

The religious devotion of those bearing the Godfrey last name is primarily Catholic (67%) in Ireland, Christian (100%) in Kenya and Christian (96%) in Nigeria.

In The United States those holding the Godfrey surname are 15.55% more likely to be registered Republicans than the national average, with 62.32% being registered to vote for the political party.

The amount Godfrey earn in different countries varies greatly. In Norway they earn 58% more than the national average, earning 546,803 kr per year; in Peru they earn 4.35% more than the national average, earning S/. 20,228 per year; in South Africa they earn 57.68% more than the national average, earning R 374,700 per year; in United States they earn 0.74% less than the national average, earning $42,828 USD per year and in Canada they earn 5.35% more than the national average, earning $52,340 CAD per year.

Phonetically Similar Names

Incidence (high to low)Incidence (low to high)Alphabetic A-ZAlphabetic Z-ASimilarity (high to low)Similarity (low to high)Prevalent jurisdiction A-ZPrevalent jurisdiction Z-A
SurnameSimilarityWorldwide IncidencePrevalency
Godffrey93199/
Goodfrey9339/
Godfreey9323/
Goddfrey9314/
Godfreys935/
Godfrrey935/
Godfreyâ934/
Godfriey934/
Goedfrey931/
Godfreya931/
Godfry92424/
Godfre92116/
Gofrey9244/
Odfrey924/
Godphfrey881/
Godffriey881/
Godfreyed881/
Godfred863,237/
Godfroy862,464/
Godfree861,189/
Godfray86312/
Godfryd8670/
Goffrey8663/
Gotfrey8641/
Gadfrey8623/
Godfryt8615/
Goofrey8614/
Godffry8611/
Goodfry867/
Godfrei865/
Gosfrey863/
Gudfrey863/
Gopfrey863/
Godfreu863/
Gofreey863/
Gedfrey862/
Godfrer862/
Godfrie861/
Godfreh861/
Godfret861/
Goufrey861/
Gowfrey861/
Godfryi861/
Godffre861/
Goyfrey861/
Godfrue861/
Godfres860/
Godfroe860/
Godfrea860/
Goddfry860/
Gofre8348/
Gofry8313/
Godphrey80110/
Goodfred8077/
Godtfred8034/
Godfread8025/
Goodffre8013/
Godfreid807/
Goodfree804/
Godtfryd802/
Godffrie801/
Godfrays801/
Godfreed801/
Gottfrey801/
Goffreys801/
Godfroiy801/
Gedffrey801/
Goffre77189/
Gadfre77119/
Gadfry7764/
Goffry7733/
Gafrey7725/
Godfri7720/
Gofred778/
Gotfre777/
Goufre772/
Gofrie771/
Gotfry771/
Goudfrooy751/
Geeoffrey751/
Gotfryd71922/
Godfrid71334/
Gaffrey71317/
Gotfred7164/
Goffred7138/
Goffroy7132/
Gofreed7129/
Godfroi7118/
Gotfret716/
Godfrad713/
Gadfred713/
Goffree713/
Goufret713/
Gotfryt713/
Gouffre713/
Godfrit713/
Godphry712/
Godfras711/
Godfrui711/
Goiffre711/
Goofrie711/
Goffray711/
Gutfrey711/
Hadfrey711/
Gadfree711/
Godfraa711/
Gopfret711/
Gasfrey710/
Gadfray710/
Gatfrey710/
Gotfree710/
Godfroid672,073/
Gottfred67177/
Gaudfroy6778/
Gouffray6747/
Gottfryd6730/
Gofri6725/
Godfroit6721/
Godfroij6716/
Gafre6715/
Godfridt6710/
Godphray674/
Gotfrydt673/
Gofra672/
Gafry672/
Gotfreid671/
Gottfrei671/
Gothfred671/
Gouffroy671/
Gooffroy671/
Gadfreed671/
Gaffrrey670/
Gothfrye670/
Goffroie670/
Godfraux670/
Show All Similar Surnames

Godfrey Name Transliterations

TransliterationICU LatinPercentage of Incidence
Godfrey in the Marathi language
गोद्फरेयgodphareya50
गॉडकेरेgodakere50
Godfrey in the Russian language
Годфрейgodfrej-

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Godfrey Reference & Research

Godfrey DNA Website - A web page dedicated to the genetic research of those who bear the surname and its variants.

Godfrey FamilyTree DNA Project - A description of a group researching the paternal lines of men who bear the surname with the help of DNA analysis.

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Footnotes

  • Surnames are taken as the first part of an person's inherited family name, caste, clan name or in some cases patronymic
  • Descriptions may contain details on the name's etymology, origin, ethnicity and history. They are largely reproduced from 3rd party sources; diligence is advised on accepting their validity - more information
  • Name distribution statistics are generated from a global database of over 4 billion people - more information
  • Heatmap: Dark red means there is a higher occurrence of the name, transitioning to light yellow signifies a progressively lower occurrence. Clicking on selected countries will show mapping at a regional level
  • Rank: Name are ranked by incidence using the ordinal ranking method; the name that occurs the most is assigned a rank of 1; name that occur less frequently receive an incremented rank; if two or more name occur the same number of times they are assigned the same rank and successive rank is incremented by the total preceeding names
  • Ethnic group cannot necessarily be determined by geographic occurrence
  • Similar: Names listed in the "Similar" section are phonetically similar and may not have any relation to Godfrey
  • To find out more about this surname's family history, lookup records on Family​Search, My​Heritage, FindMyPast and Ancestry. Further information may be obtained by DNA analysis