Goff
A surname with several roots, most often linked to Welsh/Irish Gough or to a Celtic word for ‘smith.’
The #1,081 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 9,559 Americans shares it.
Etymology
GOFF is usually treated as a variant of Gough, a Welsh nickname surname from a word meaning “red” or “ruddy,” but some older surname writers also linked it to a Celtic/Armorican word for “smith.” In Cornish material, the related element goff appears in place-names and surnames with the sense “smith,” which supports a craftsman-related explanation in some families. The spelling can also reflect later anglicization or regional pronunciation rather than a single fixed origin.
History
The name is well established in Britain and Ireland, with spellings such as Goffe and MacGough/ MacGoff appearing in older records. English and Irish surname writers often cross-reference it with Gough, while Cornish and Breton scholarship points to a smith-related word in some local names. Because these traditions overlap, different Goff families may not share the same origin.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Some 19th-century writers noted Cornish names like Trengoff and Angove as evidence that goff could mean “smith” in regional Celtic usage.
From the historical record
“is very common. GOFF. GOFFE. See Gough. When not a corruption of Gough, it is said to signify in the Armoricau dialect " the smith." In the Cornish, Angove has the same meaning, while Trengrove is "strong smith." Queingoff is another Armorican surname meanhig " whitesmith," according to the conjecture of Mr. Dixon.…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United KingdomNotable people named Goff
- P. L. Travers (1899–1996)
Sourced from Wikidata; linked to their Wikipedia page.