indicate the level to which a name has been verified.
Type Surname (from location)
Usage English
Meaning & History
From a Norman personal name that appears in Middle English as Geffrey and in Old French as Je(u)froi. Some authorities regard this as no more than a palatalized form of Godfrey, but early forms such as Galfridus and Gaufridus point to a first element from Germanic gala "to sing" or gawi "region, territory". It is possible that several originally distinct names have fallen together in the same form.