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Name Lineage

    The first name Gottfried

    A boy’s name meaning “god”, “peace”.

    2 syllables Male Also a surname

    Meaning and origin

    Gottfried means “god”, “peace”.

    Jewish and German surname, from Gott (“god”) + Friede (“peace”).

    More names that mean god, peace.

    From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

    Popularity in the United States

    Babies named Gottfried at birth, 1880–2025

    In 1938, 5 boys born in the United States were named Gottfried, the 3,730th most popular boys’ name that year. It was used most in 1918, when 12 were.

    01020 188018851890189519001905191019151920192519301935194019451950195519601965197019751980198519901995200020052010201520202025
    115
    babies named Gottfried since 1880
    #3,730
    rank in 1938
    1918
    peak year

    US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.

    Famous people named Gottfried

    86 on Wikidata, most written-about first

    • Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz
      German mathematician and philosopher (1646–1716)
    • Johann Gottfried Galle
      German astronomer (1812-1910)
    • Christian Gottfried Ehrenberg
      German biologist (1795–1876)
    • Gottfried Böhm
      German architect (1920-2021)
    • Gottfried Semper
      German architect (1803–1879)
    • Gottfried Feder
      German economist and politician (1883-1941)
    • Gottfried Heinrich Graf zu Pappenheim
      Austrian field marshal, 1594–1632
    • Christian Gottfried Daniel Nees von Esenbeck
      German botanist, embryologist and natural philosopher (1776-1858)
    • Johann Gottfried Walther
      German musician and composer, 1684–1748
    • Gottfried John
      German actor (1942-2014)
    • Gottfried Silbermann
      German organ builder (1683-1753)
    • Gottfried von Einem
      Austrian composer (1916-1996)

    Questions

    What does the name Gottfried mean?
    Gottfried means “god”, “peace”.
    Is Gottfried a boy's or a girl's name?
    Mostly a boy's name: 100% of the 115 US babies named Gottfried since 1880 were boys.
    When was Gottfried most popular?
    1918 in the United States, when 12 babies were named Gottfried, its highest rank at 2,453rd.
    Is Gottfried also a surname?
    Yes. Gottfried is used as a surname as well as a first name; its surname page has the origin and how many people carry it.