Goff Family History

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Goff Name Meaning

Welsh: nickname for a red-haired person (see Gough). 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. Irish: reduced form of McGoff.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press


Similar surnames: Boff, Loff, Gaff, Off, Groff, Duff, Reff, Koff, Good, Hoff

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Goff Ethnicity Estimate

What are the common regions with the Goff name?

These results combine data from everyone in the AncestryDNA® database with the last name Goff. The Ancestry® ethnicity regions shown are top five most common on average for these people.

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  • England & Wales

    52%

  • Ireland & Scotland

    20%

  • Germanic Europe

    7%

  • Eastern Europe & Russia

    3%

  • Norway

    3%

Your own DNA-based ethnicity estimate will differ from what you see here. To get your personalized ethnicity estimate, order an AncestryDNA® kit.order an AncestryDNA® kit.

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Goff Family Origin

Where is the Goff family from?

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You can see how Goff families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Goff family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Goff families were found in the USA in 1880. In 1911 there were 127 Goff families living in Ontario. This was about 65% of all the recorded Goff's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Goff families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Goff surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

View Census Data for Goff

Goff Family Occupations

What did your Goff ancestors do for a living?

In 1881, the most common Goff occupation in Canada was Farmer. 32% of Goff's were Farmers. Farmer, Servant and Merchant were the top 3 reported jobs worked by Goff. A less common occupation for the Goff family was Baker.

View Census data for Goff | Data not to scale

  • Farmer

    32%

  • Servant

    7%

  • Merchant

    4%

  • Baker

    3%

Census records can tell you a lot of little known facts about your Goff ancestors, such as occupation. Occupation can tell you about your ancestor's social and economic status.

Goff Historical Records

What Goff family records will you find?

Census Record

There are 174,000 census records available for the last name Goff. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Goffcensus records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search 1881 Canadian census records for Goff

Passenger List

There are 15,000 immigration records available for the last name Goff. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in Canada, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Goff immigration records

Draft Card

There are 33,000 military records available for the last name Goff. For the veterans among your Goff ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Goff military records

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Goff Life Expectancy

What is the average Goff lifespan?

Between 1944 and 2004, in the United States, Goff life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1944, and highest in 2004. The average life expectancy for Goff in 1944 was 29, and 74 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Goff

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Goff ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

Famous Goff Family Ancestors

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