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Godfrey Name Meaning, Origins & History

Godfrey

Pronunciation: GOD-free

Meaning God peace Origin Germanic Gender Boy
BOYS RANK
#7,850
TREND
2,355
Peak Years
1918, 1917, 1920
Lowest Years
2009, 1903, 1902
Energy Archetype
Reflective & Analytical

Rank shows the name’s position among U.S. baby names for each gender in 2025. Trend shows how many places it rose or fell since 2024. Rank 1 is the most popular. Based on U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) data. Peak and lowest years are based on the number of boys named Godfrey in the available records.

Fun Facts About the Name Godfrey

  • More than 3 thousand babies named Godfrey: U.S. records list 3,246 babies given the name Godfrey from 1880 through 2025.

What Does the Name Godfrey Mean?

Godfrey is an English form of a Germanic compound name built from god ("god") and frid ("peace"), so its established meaning is "God's peace" or "peace of God." The name reached English by way of Old French Godefroi and Godefrei, which descend from Old High German Godafrid, also written Godefrid. The second element is the Germanic word for peace that also appears in Frederick (Old High German Fridurih, "peace-ruler"); the first element is the ordinary Germanic word for a deity rather than a personal name, and in Christian usage it was understood as the Christian God, which is how the compound came to be read as "God's peace."

Godfrey Name History & Origins

Godfrey belongs to the large group of two-element Germanic names formed in the early Middle Ages. Its ancestor, Old High German Godafrid, was used by Frankish and other Germanic-speaking peoples and spread with them into the territory that became France. By the time of the Norman Conquest of England, the name existed in Old French as Godefroi and Godefrei, and Norman settlers carried it to England, where medieval forms such as Godefrei and Godfrid are found. The modern spelling Godfrey shows the normal English development of the Old French form. The name also became well established as an English surname.

The best-known medieval bearer was Godfrey of Bouillon (c. 1060 - 1100), duke of Lower Lorraine, who led one of the main armies of the First Crusade and was chosen to rule Jerusalem after its capture in 1099. He took the title Advocate of the Holy Sepulchre instead of king, and his reputation in medieval Europe made the name prominent in crusading and chivalric writing. His father, Godfrey II, duke of Lower Lorraine, bore the name before him, and Saint Godfrey of Amiens (died 1115), a bishop, is another medieval bearer.

In later literature the name appears in Victorian novels, including Godfrey Cass in George Eliot's Silas Marner and Godfrey Ablewhite in Wilkie Collins's The Moonstone. Such fictional uses are separate from the name's medieval history. The similar-looking Geoffrey is usually traced to a different Germanic first element, so the two names are not simply the same name in different spellings, though medieval spellings sometimes overlap and the connection between them is not fully settled.

How Popular is the Name Godfrey?

Godfrey recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 1918. Its best rank was #566 in 1888.

U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.

Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.

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How the Name Godfrey Shapes Your Personality and Life?

You are introspective, prophetic, philosophical, and soul searching, but also can be analytical, critical and opinionated. You think deeply and clearly, have an air of mystery, can be solitary and secretive. You are frank, methodical and believe in law, system and order.

Position and social status is very important for you and you are always looking for way to improve your position in society. You have power and ability to chose your own destiny and achieve anything you want in life. You can expand in any direction according to your will and the set of values. You have passion for justice and belong to the position of authority. You have an inherent courage and endurance to accomplish "The Impossible Dream". With the power comes responsibility. You hold keys to the material world, but with this gift comes high spiritual responsibility to be fair and true to others. You are philosophical and mature, determined and intense with a desire to endure, often religious.

✦ Godfrey's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Godfrey's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.
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