The Gough and Goff surnames have deep roots in England. Each surname, Gough and Goff, was spelled and pronounced differently than today when first adopted as hereditary family names in the late 13th century. The original Goch morphed into Gogh, which is Gough today. The Goffe surname, predecessor to Goff, was likely pronounced with two syllables in the first couple centuries of use.
The fog of history makes it hard to imagine the people used these surnames about 700 years ago. They were ordinary people like us today: they had given names that sound familiar to 21st century ears; they had families to be fed; they bought and sold property; and sometimes got into disputes with neighbors. While women are generally underrepresented in historical documents, some early records provide women nearly equal prominence with men. Here then is a glimpse of those who used our surnames many centuries ago.
(Please refer to this index of newsletter articles to learn more about the origins of our Goff and Gough surnames.)