# Godfrey (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/godfrey/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | boys |
| Origin | German |
| Meaning | “peace of god” |
| Pronunciation | /ˈɡɑdfɹi/, 2 syllables |
| Nicknames | none recorded |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |
| US babies named this | 3,245 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 3,245 / 0 (0% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 50, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

From Old French Godefrei, from Old High German Godafrid (“peace of God”), from Proto-Germanic *Gudafriþuz. Equivalent to god + frith. Doublet of Gottfried and Geoffrey.

## What it means

Godfrey is grouped under god and peace.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 9 | 8,300 |
| 2012 | 16 | 5,565 |
| 2013 | 12 | 6,751 |
| 2014 | 13 | 6,421 |
| 2015 | 6 | 11,158 |
| 2016 | 8 | 9,135 |
| 2017 | 8 | 9,129 |
| 2018 | 10 | 7,794 |
| 2019 | 14 | 6,207 |
| 2020 | 12 | 6,756 |
| 2021 | 13 | 6,449 |
| 2022 | 10 | 7,959 |
| 2023 | 9 | 8,476 |
| 2024 | 7 | 10,243 |
| 2025 | 10 | 7,850 |

### England and Wales, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 4 | 2,419 |
| 2001 | 3 | 3,134 |
| 2003 | 6 | 2,189 |
| 2005 | 4 | 3,208 |
| 2006 | 8 | 2,087 |
| 2007 | 3 | 4,333 |
| 2008 | 3 | 4,432 |
| 2009 | 5 | 3,227 |
| 2010 | 5 | 3,332 |
| 2012 | 3 | 4,805 |
| 2017 | 3 | 4,812 |
| 2018 | 3 | 4,749 |

## In other languages

- Armenian: Գոտֆրիդ, Գոդֆրուա
- Catalan: Godofré, Jofré
- Chinese: 葛孚雷
- Danish: Gotfred
- Dutch: Godfried
- Esperanto: Gotfredo
- French: Godefroy
- Georgian: გოტფრიდი, გოდფრი
- German: Gottfried
- Greek: Γοδεφρείδος
- Hungarian: Gotfrid
- Icelandic: Guðfreður
- Irish: Gofraidh
- Italian: Goffredo
- Latin: Godefridus
- Polish: Godfryd
- Portuguese: Godofredo
- Russian: Готфрид
- Scottish Gaelic: Goiridh, Goraidh
- Spanish: Godofredo

## People named Godfrey

- Godfrey Hounsfield, English electrical engineer (1919–2004)
- Godfrey Kneller, German-born British painter (1646–1723)
- Godfrey Brown, athletics competitor (1915–1995)
- Godfrey Rampling, English army officer and Olympic medalist (1909–2009)
- Godfrey I, Count of Namur, Count of Château-Porcéan and Namur
- Charles Godfrey Leland, American folklorist (1824-1903)
- Godfrey Reggio, filmmaker (born 1940)
- Godfrey Bloom, British politician
- Godfrey Cambridge, American stand-up comedian (1933-1976)
- Godfrey Tearle, British actor (1884-1953)
- Sir Godfrey Copley, 2nd Baronet, British landowner and MP. (1653-1709)
- Godfrey, American comedian

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.