How common is the surname Godfrey?

28,734 people in the United States had the surname Godfrey in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 10,745 Americans. It ranked 1,230th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Godfrey?

Arthur Godfrey, American radio personality and television actor (1903–1983), followed by Linsey Godfrey.

Where is the surname Godfrey most common?

Wikidata records people named Godfrey in the United States, the United Kingdom and the Kingdom of Great Britain and 1 other country.

How do you pronounce Godfrey?

Godfrey is /ˈɡɑdfɹi/, 2 syllables.

Is the surname Godfrey getting more or less common?

More common. 27,700 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 28,734 in 2010, up 3.7%.

Is Godfrey also a first name?

Yes. Godfrey is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.

The surname Godfrey

A German patronymic surname, carried by 28,734 people in the United States.

Pronounced /ˈɡɑdfɹi/ 2 syllables Soundex G316 Also a first name

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Godfrey is more common than 99.2% of them.

Origin

German origin

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.

Godfrey is a patronymic surname: formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.

One of 1,101 German surnames on this site.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 28,734 people named Godfrey in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 10,745 Americans. That is up 3.7% since 2000, when the Census counted 27,700.

#1,230

rank among US surnames

28,734

people in 2010

9.7

per 100,000 Americans

+3.7%

change since 2000 (was #1,159)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#1,221	Tyson	28,947	10,666
#1,222	Bui	28,919	10,676
#1,223	Hilton	28,918	10,677
#1,224	Caballero	28,903	10,682
#1,225	Downing	28,880	10,691
#1,226	Sharpe	28,879	10,691
#1,227	Guy	28,852	10,701

Who is named Godfrey

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

78% of people named Godfrey identified as white (not Hispanic), 16% as Black (not Hispanic) and 2.3% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

White (not Hispanic) 78%
Black (not Hispanic) 16%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.3%
Two or more races 2.0%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.8%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.6%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Godfreys

11 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Arthur Godfrey
American radio personality and television actor (1903–1983)
Linsey Godfrey
American actress, born 1988
Larry Godfrey
British archer, born 1976
Renee Godfrey
American actress and singer (1919-1964)
Peter Godfrey-Smith
Australian philosopher, born 1965
Patrick Godfrey
British actor (1933–2026)
Peter Godfrey
British actor and director (1899-1970)
Thomas Godfrey
American optician and inventor (1704-1749)
John Trevor Godfrey
American flying ace, 1922–1958
Tommy Godfrey
British actor (1916-1984)
Bob Godfrey
British animator (1921–2013)

Notable Godfreys come mostly from the United States (5), the United Kingdom (4) and the Kingdom of Great Britain (1).

Other German surnames

All 1,101 German surnames

Questions

Where does the surname Godfrey come from?: 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.
How common is the surname Godfrey?: 28,734 people in the United States had the surname Godfrey in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 10,745 Americans. It ranked 1,230th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Godfrey?: In the 2010 Census, 78% of people named Godfrey identified as white (not Hispanic), and 16% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Godfrey?: Arthur Godfrey, American radio personality and television actor (1903–1983), followed by Linsey Godfrey.
Where is the surname Godfrey most common?: Wikidata records people named Godfrey in the United States, the United Kingdom and the Kingdom of Great Britain and 1 other country.
How do you pronounce Godfrey?: Godfrey is /ˈɡɑdfɹi/, 2 syllables.
What type of surname is Godfrey?: Godfrey is a patronymic surname, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.
Is the surname Godfrey getting more or less common?: More common. 27,700 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 28,734 in 2010, up 3.7%.
Is Godfrey also a first name?: Yes. Godfrey is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.