Surname Guffy - Meaning and Origin

Guffy: What does the surname Guffy mean?

The origin of the name Guffy is uncertain. It could be derived from the Old French name Guffri, meaning “valley of goats”. Other variations of the name include Goffy, Guffie, Gough, and Goughy.

The surname Guffy is believed to be a fairly modern name, most likely originating in England or Ireland in the late 17th or early 18th century. It’s quite common throughout the UK and Ireland, especially in areas of England such as Wales, Lancashire and Shropshire.

Occupational origins of the name Guffy link it back to the wool industry, with Guffy being a nickname for someone who worked in a woolen mill, either as a wool sorter or wool broker. This is why the name is sometimes spelled “Goffy”, as it is a phonetic spelling of the occupation.

The name Guffy is also associated with occupational origins in Scotland related to smithing. It is believed that the English version of the name was corrupted from the Gaelic word ‘Goibhfhear’, which means blacksmith.

A possible origin is also found in Irish names, where ‘Mag Uidhir’ means ‘man of fur’, referring to a furrier or someone who works with animal hides.

Regardless of its actual origin, the name Guffy is now used and recognized as a surname all over the world.

Guffy: Where does the name Guffy come from?

The last name Guffy is most common in the United States, particularly in the Midwestern states of the US. According to the 2019 US Census, the state with the highest number of people who have this last name is Wisconsin, at almost 600 people. Minnesota is second, with nearly 350 people. Michigan, Illinois and New York round out the top five states that have the highest numbers of people with the surname Guffy.

The origin of Guffy is English, stemming directly from the Old English word Goff or Gif, meaning "high point." Today, Guffy is one of the most common last names in the states of Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan and New York.

In other countries, the surname Guffy is less common. The United Kingdom has the highest number of people with this surname, with only about 50 listed in the UK Births and Names Registry in 2019. Other countries with a smaller number of individuals with this last name include Australia, Canada, Japan and Switzerland.

Overall, the last name Guffy is most commonly found throughout the United States, especially in the Midwest. Its origin is English and, while the number of people with the surname outside the US is limited, it is still present in some other countries.

Variations of the surname Guffy

The surname Guffy has two distinct variants, spellings and surnames of the same origin. The first is Guffy or Guffey, which is primarily of English origin. This surname can refer to someone ‘from the farm of the cuckoo’. It is derived from the Old English words ‘gu’ (cuckoo) and ‘faege’ (farm). Alternatively, Guffy may be an Anglicized form of the Irish name Mac Giobuin, which derives from the Old Gaelic name ‘giobuin’ meaning ‘small’.

Variant spellings of Guffy include Guffey, Goofy, Geif and Giffey. Surnames of the same origin include Guff, Goff, Cuffee and Coffey.

Guffy is a popular surname, carried by notable figures such as the senior White House correspondent of CNN, Jim Acosta, and the football player Robert Guffy. The surname is most prominent in the United States, where it is seen most commonly in Texas, California, and New York. It is also seen throughout England, Ireland, Scotland and Canada.

Guffy is a unique and ancient surname, with many distinct variants and spellings that all carry the same origin. It has been carried for centuries by noteworthy individuals and is still widely present in various countries today.

Famous people with the name Guffy

• Steve Guffy: Steve Guffy is an American voice-over artist best known for doing voice-overs for cartoons for many networks such as Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, and Disney Channel.
• Emily Guffy: Emily Guffy is a Canadian professional ice hockey player, currently playing for the Toronto Furies of the Canadian Women's Hockey League.
• Adam Guffy: Adam Guffy is an American actor of film and television, most notablyknown for his roles in shows such as Chicago Fire and The Finder.
• Bob Guffy: Bob Guffy is an American coach and former professional basketball player who played sparingly in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1992 to 1994.
• Rose Guffy: Rose Guffy is an American ballerina who has performed with the American Ballet Theatre, The Washington Ballet, and the Royal Swedish Ballet.
• Samantha Guffy: Samantha Guffy is an American singer and songwriter, best known for her singles "Beautiful Things" and "Where do We Go".
• Matt Guffy: Matt Guffy is an American professional golfer on the PGA Tour who has won multiple PGA Tour-sanctioned events.
• Russell Guffy: Russell Guffy was a British author of books on the history and culture of Devon.
• Blake Guffy: Blake Guffy is an American former professional soccer player, who last played for the Rochester Rhinos in Major League Soccer.
• Katerina Guffy: Katerina Guffy is a Canadian figure skater, who represented Canada at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

Other surnames

GuffeeGuffeyGuffieGuffog