Explore the Family Name Goff
The meaning of Goff
1. 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). 2. 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. 3. Welsh and Cornish: nickname from a variant of Welsh or Cornish coch, goch ‘red(-haired)’; see Gough. 4. Irish (Wexford): shortened form of McGoff. 5. In some cases possibly also Breton (mainly Finistère; mainly Le Goff): see Le Goff. History: Edward Goffe was a farmer in Cambridge MA whose house was acquired by Harvard College some time before 1654 and used as a dormitory, known as Goffe’s College.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Goff in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Goff saw a slight shift in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Goff ranked as the 1001st most popular surname, but by 2010, its ranking had slipped to 1081st, reflecting a decrease of approximately 8%. However, despite this drop in rank, the total count of people with the surname Goff actually increased slightly from 31,806 in 2000 to 32,298 in 2010, a growth of about 1.55%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,001 | #1,081 | -7.99% |
| Count | 31,806 | 32,298 | 1.55% |
| Proportion per 100k | 11.79 | 10.95 | -7.12% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Goff
The Decennial U.S. Census data also provides insight into the ethnic identity associated with the surname Goff. The vast majority (87.20% in 2010) of individuals with the surname identify as White, although this has decreased slightly from 88.96% in 2000. There are also a significant number of individuals who identify as Black, making up 7.78% of those with the surname in 2010, up from 7.25% in 2000. Individuals identifying as Hispanic, Asian/Pacific Islander, and those of two or more races have also seen increases in their representation among people with the surname Goff, while the proportion identifying as American Indian and Alaskan Native remained stable.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 88.96% | 87.2% | -1.98% |
| Black | 7.25% | 7.78% | 7.31% |
| Hispanic | 1.62% | 2.42% | 49.38% |
| Two or More Races | 1.29% | 1.59% | 23.26% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.42% | 0.54% | 28.57% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.47% | 0.47% | 0% |
Goff ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Goff is British & Irish, which comprises 56.0% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (24.8%) and Eastern European (3.9%). Additional ancestries include Scandinavian, Ashkenazi Jewish, Italian, Spanish & Portuguese, and Nigerian.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 56.0% |
| French & German | 24.8% |
| Eastern European | 3.9% |
| Other | 15.3% |
Possible origins of the surname Goff
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Goff have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 90.50% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 90.50% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 90.30% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 90.00% |
| Tyne And Wear, United Kingdom | 90.00% |
What Goff haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Goff is R-CTS241, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-CTS241 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-L664 and I-Y6900, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Ford, Shaw, Morgan, Humphreys, Phillips, Hughes, Evans, Thompson, Jones, Henderson.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Goff surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette
Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.
What do people with the surname Goff have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Goff" Surname 45.3%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Goff" Surname 31.8%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Goff" Surname 29.3%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Goff" Surname 18.7%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Goff?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Goff are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition