This surname is of Olde English, French, and Celtic origins. Recorded in several forms as shown below it has several possible origins. The first is that it derives from the pre 7th century word gobha, or the Cornish gov or the Breton gof, all meaning a blacksmith. As such it was originally to be found in the East Anglian region where it was introduced from Brittany by followers of Duke William of Normandy, in or after the famous Conquest of 1066. The second possible origin is a derivation from the Welsh word coch meaning red, and originally given as a nickname to a person with red hair or a ruddy complexion. Thirdly it may be a short form of the French name Geoffrey, again a name introduced into the British Isles after 1066. The spellings in the modern idiom include Goff, Geoff, Goeff, Goffe, Gough and others. Early examples of recordings include Stephen Goffe or Gough (1605 - 1681) was a Divine and Poet. D.D. Oxford (1636), whilst the first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Bertram Goffe. This was dated 1208, in the Fines Court rolls of Lincolnshire, during the reign of King John, 1199 - 1216. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to stonishing variants of the original spelling.

© Copyright: Name Origin Research 1980 - 2024