Geoffrey (given name)

Geoffrey
Gender	Male
Origin
Word/Name	English
Meaning	"peaceful place," or "peaceful traveler,"
Other names
Related names	Jeffrey, Geoff, Jeff

"Geoffrey", often spelled Jeffrey and abbreviated as "Geoff" or "Jeff" or "Geof", is a male given name in the English-speaking world. Geoffrey originated from an Old French form of a Germanic name. Although the name's second element is "frid", meaning "peace", the first element of the name is disputed. Possible words that it originated from include "gawia" ("territory"), "walah" ("stranger"), "gisil" ("hostage") or "god". It is considered possible that more than one of these words were used as elements of the same name. If "god" was among them, "Geoffrey" would likely be related to the name "Godfrey".^[1] Medieval variants on "Geoffrey" include "Jeffrey"^[2] and "Jeffery". Jeffrey is sometimes spelled with one f as in Jefrey. Jeffrey and its variants are found as surnames, usually as a patronymic ending in -s (e.g., Jefferies, Jaffrays).

The name was introduced to England by the Normans after William the Conqueror's conquest of England in 1066. It was particularly popular among English nobility.

Contents 1 Variations 2 Usage of names 2.1 In television and film 2.2 In sports 2.3 In literature 2.4 In music 2.5 In politics 2.6 In history 2.7 In military 2.8 In other fields 3 References

Variations

The variations of the name include

Gefrey Geoff Geoffaree Geoffree Geoffri

Geophrey Gioffre Jaffray Jef Jeff

Jefferson Jeffery Jeffree Jeffreigh Jeffrey

Jeffri Jeffry Jefrey Jofré

Jeffy

Usage of names

In television and film

Geoffrey Beevers, British actor who has appeared in many different television roles Geoffrey Brown, software inventor major contribution to placeshifting television Geoffrey Diamond, Guitar/Bass, The Nuclear Holocausts Geoff Dolan, New Zealand actor, singer and corporate entertainer Geoffrey Hayes, English television presenter and actor Geoffrey Holder, actor Geoffrey Lewis, American character actor who has been popular since the early 1970s Geoffrey Perkins, British radio and television producer Geoff Edwards, American actor/game-show host Geoff Morrell (actor), Australian film and theatre actor Geoff Morrell (Pentagon), former reporter, Pentagon spokesman Geoff Murphy, New Zealand film director, writer and assistant director Geoff Peterson, robotic sidekick on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson Geoffrey Rush, Australian Academy Award and Emmy Award winning actor Geoff Thompson, writer, film director and self-defence expert Geoffrey Wright, Australian film director born in Melbourne in 1959 Jeffrey Combs, American character actor best known for his horror film roles Jeffrey Hunter, film and television actor Jeffrey Nordling, American actor Jeffrey Tambor, American actor Jeff Albertson, character from The Simpsons, more commonly known as Comic Book Guy Jeff Anderson, American actor who appeared as Randal Graves in Kevin Smith's Clerks series

Jeff Bridges, American actor Jeff Chandler (actor), 1950s American film actor Jeff Cohen, child actor who appeared as Chunk in the 1985 movie The Goonies Jeff Conaway, American actor Jeff Daniels, American actor Jeff Dunham, American ventriloquist Jeff East, American actor, appeared in Superman as the young Clark Kent Jeff Foxworthy, American comedian and actor Jeff Garlin, American comedic actor Jeff Goldblum, American film actor Jeff Hyslop, Canadian television and theatre actor Jeff Maxwell, American actor (Igor from M.A.S.H.) Jeff McCarthy, American character actor who has appeared in television, theatre and films Jeff Murdoch, character in the first three seasons of the sitcom Coupling Jeff Probst, American television personality Jeff Reinhart, character in the Saw movie series Jeff Thisted, American game-show host Jeff Yagher, American actor

In sports

Geoff Bent, one of the eight Manchester United players that lost their lives in the Munich air disaster Geoff Blum, infielder in Major League Baseball Geoff Bodine, NASCAR driver Geoffrey Boycott, former England cricketer Geoffrey Brovich, General Sports enthusiast Geoff Capes, former British shot put champion and two-time World's Strongest Man winner Geoff Horsfield, English football player Geoff Howarth, New Zealand cricketer Geoff Hurst, the only footballer who ever scored a hat-trick in a World Cup final Geoff Jenkins, outfielder in Major League Baseball Geoff Rowley, professional skateboarder Geoff Ogilvy, Australian golfer, winner of the 2006 US Open. Geoff Roes, ultra-runner, Western States 100 Endurance Run record holder Geoff Sanderson, forward in the National Hockey League Geoff Schwartz, American football player (Carolina Panthers) Jeff Agoos, American soccer player Jeff Bagwell, baseball player Jeff Bes, Canadian ice hockey player Jeff Burton, NASCAR racer Jeff Chandler (boxer), boxing champion

Jeff Conine, pro baseball player Jeff Elliott, British decathlete and pole vaulter Jeff Fenech, boxer Jeff Francis, baseball player Jeff Francoeur, American baseball player Jeff Garcia, football player Jeff Gordon, NASCAR racer Jeff Guiel, Canadian baseball player Jeff Halpern, American hockey player (Montreal Canadians) Jeff Hardy, American professional wrestler Jeff Jarrett, American professional wrestler Jeff Kent, American MVP major league baseball player Jeff Newman (baseball), American major league baseball All Star catcher & first baseman and manager Jeff Otis, American football player Jeff Schiebler, Canadian long-distance runner Jeff Speakman, American actor and accomplished martial artist in the art of kempo Jeff Stork, American volleyball player Jeff Thomson, Australian cricketer Jeff Van Gundy, US NBA coach Jeff Williams, Australian-born, left-handed pitcher for the Hanshin Tigers baseball team

In literature

Geoffrey Chaucer, English author, poet, philosopher, bureaucrat, and diplomat Geoffrey Moorhouse (1931–2009), British writer Geoff Johns, American writer of comic books Jeffrey Archer, Baron Archer of Weston-super-Mare, English author and former politician Jeffrey Carver, American science fiction author Jeffrey Daniels (author), Chicago-raised African American poet, artist, and professor Jeffrey Eugenides, American novelist and short story writer of Greek and Irish origins Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson, Sanskrit specialist and author who trained as a psychoanalyst in Toronto

Jeffrey Rowland, webcomic artist Jeffrey Shaara, American novelist Jeffrey Simpson, The Globe and Mail's national affairs columnist Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon.com Jeff Noon, novelist, short story writer and playwright Jeff VanderMeer, American writer

In music

Geoff Barrow, producer/instrumentalist for the band, Portishead Geoff Berner, Canadian singer-songwriter on the accordion Geoff Downes, Keyboard player known for his work with The Buggles, Yes and Asia Geoff Emerick, recording studio audio engineer, who is best known for his work with the Beatles Geoff Nicholls, former keyboard player for Black Sabbath Geoff Rickly, lead singer and lyricist of the Post-Hardcore band Thursday Geoff Tate, lead singer for hard rock band Queensryche Jeffrey Ching, British contemporary classical composer DJ Jazzy Jeff, American DJ/turntablist record producer Jeff Beck, electric guitarist

Jeff Buckley American singer-songwriter Jeff Graham, Canadian radio DJ Jeff Hanneman, guitarist for U.S. thrash metal band Slayer Jeff Healey, Canadian blues-rock guitarist Jeff Loomis, lead guitarist for heavy metal band Nevermore Jeff Lynne, British singer-songwriter and record producer Jeff Mangum, American singer-songwriter and founder of Neutral Milk Hotel Jeff Porcaro, highly regarded session drummer and founding member of Toto Jeff Tweedy, American singer-songwriter and founding member of Wilco

In politics

Geoffrey Howe, British Conservative politician and former Deputy Prime Minister Jeff Bingaman, senior U.S. Senator from New Mexico Jeff Flake, U.S. Representative from Arizona Jeff Kennett, former Premier of Victoria, Australia

Jeff Seemann, United States Democratic candidate in Ohio for Congress Jeff Sessions, junior U.S. Senator from Alabama

In history

Geoffrey Rudolph Elton, British historian of the Tudor period Geoffrey Norman Blainey, Australian historian and political commentator Geoffrey of Monmouth, Welsh cleric and chronicler Geoffrey Plantagenet, Count of Anjou, Duke of Normandy, founder of the House of Plantagenet Geoffrey (Archbishop of York), illegitimate son of King Henry II of England, Bishop of Lincoln and Archbishop of York Geoffrey, Duke of Brittany, son of King Henry II of England and brother of King Richard and King John. Gioffre Borgia, Prince of Squillace, illegitimate son of Pope Alexander VI and brother of Lucrezia Borgia, Cesare Borgia and Giovanni Borgia

In military

Jeffrey Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst, officer in the British Army

Jeffrey R. MacDonald, former member of the elite military unit

In other fields

Geoffrey Beene (1927–2004), American fashion designer Geoff Dixon, Australian corporate executive and former CEO and Managing Director of Qantas Geoff Lloyd, British radio DJ Geoff Ramsey, member of Rooster Teeth Productions Jeffrey Buttle, Canadian figure skater Jeffrey Cheah, Founder of Malaysian conglomerate The Sunway Group Jeffrey Daniel, singer and dancer with the soul group Shalamar Jeffrey Dahmer, notorious American serial killer, necrophile and cannibal

Jeff Cooper (colonel), former United States Marine and firearms expert Jeff Luers, American anarchist, environmental activist, and arsonist Jeff Nuttall, British 1960s counter-culture figure Jeff Hawkins, Founder of Palm Computing and Handspring Jeff Minter, British computer and video game designer and programmer Jeff K., fictional character created by Richard Kyanka

References

This page or section lists people that share the same given name. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change that link to point directly to the intended article.