Goff Family History
Goff Name Meaning
English: if originally pronounced with a soft G- this is from the Middle English personal name Goff(e) Joff(e) a short form of Geoffrey (see Jeffrey ). English (of Cornish and Breton origin): occupational name from Cornish and Breton goff ‘smith’ (cognate with Gaelic gobha). The surname is common in East Anglia where it is of Breton origin introduced by followers of William the Conqueror. Welsh and Cornish: nickname from a variant of Welsh or Cornish coch goch ‘red(-haired)’; see Gough . Irish (Wexford): shortened form of McGoff . In some cases possibly also Breton (mainly Finistère; mainly Le Goff): see Le Goff .
Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022