Gottfred
A masculine Germanic name composed of the elements God and peace.
Name Census estimates that about 0 living Americans carry the first name Gottfred. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Gottfred today is around 0 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Gottfred births was 1918 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Gottfred. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Gottfred. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
0
~ - Americans
Peak year
1918
5 babies that year
Average age
-
1918 SSA rank
#4,423
Tracked since 1918
Popularity
Gottfred: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Gottfred by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Gottfred during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1910s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Gottfred
The given name Gottfred is of Germanic origin, derived from the Old High German elements "gōd" meaning "god" and "fridu" meaning "peace." It translates to "peace of God" or "God's peace." This name dates back to the early medieval period and was particularly popular among Germanic tribes and kingdoms.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Gottfred can be found in the Carolingian dynasty of the 8th and 9th centuries. A notable figure bearing this name was Gottfred, a Frankish nobleman and military commander who served under Charlemagne and his successors. He played a significant role in the Frankish conquest of Saxony and the subjugation of the Saxons to Frankish rule.
In the 11th century, Gottfred was also the name of a Saxon count who participated in the Investiture Controversy, a conflict between the Holy Roman Emperor and the Pope over the right to appoint bishops and abbots. This Gottfred supported the emperor's cause and was an influential figure in the political and ecclesiastical affairs of the time.
During the High Middle Ages, the name Gottfred gained popularity among the nobility and aristocracy of various Germanic regions. One notable bearer of the name was Gottfred of Viterbo, an Italian chronicler and historian who lived in the 12th century. His work, the "Pantheon," a universal chronicle in Latin verse, is considered an important source for the study of medieval history.
In the 13th century, Gottfred von Strassburg was a renowned German poet and author of the courtly romance "Tristan," one of the most significant works of Middle High German literature. His retelling of the Tristan and Isolde legend has had a lasting impact on literature and culture.
Another notable figure with the name Gottfred was Gottfred Kirchhoff, a German scientist born in 1824. He made significant contributions to the field of spectroscopy and is best known for his work on the laws of electrical circuits, now known as Kirchhoff's laws. His research laid the foundation for modern electrical engineering and circuit analysis.
These are just a few examples of historical figures who bore the name Gottfred, highlighting its Germanic roots and its use across various periods and contexts throughout history.
People
Gottfred + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Gottfred as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with G
Other first names starting with G with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Gottfred: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Gottfred?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 0 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Gottfred going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about - US residents.
Is Gottfred a common name?
We classify Gottfred as "Very Rare". It ranks above 2.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Gottfred most popular?
The single biggest year for Gottfred was 1918, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Gottfred is about 0 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Gottfred in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Gottfred a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Gottfred in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Gottfred still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Gottfred in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Gottfred can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How common is the name Gottfred?
You can see how many Americans are named Gottfred on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.