The name Jeff is a shortened form of the English name Jeffrey, which derives from the medieval German name Gottfried. Gottfried is a compound name formed from the words "gott" meaning "god" and "frid" meaning "peace." The name can be translated to mean "God's peace" or "the peace of God."

Gottfried was a popular name among the Franks during the Middle Ages, and it was introduced to Britain by the Normans after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The spelling variants included Geffraye, Gefferay, and Gefrai.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Jeffrey appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, a record of a great survey of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name is listed as "Geffrei."

Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the name Jeff or Jeffrey. One of the earliest was Geoffrey of Monmouth, a 12th-century British cleric and writer who is best known for his chronicle Historia Regum Britanniae (History of the Kings of Britain).

Another notable figure was Geoffrey Chaucer, the 14th-century English poet and author of the Canterbury Tales, who was born around 1343. His son was also named Geoffrey.

In the 16th century, Sir Geoffrey Fenton was an English writer and statesman who served as the Principal Secretary of State in Ireland during the reign of Elizabeth I.

Geoffrey of Vendôme, born around 1065, was a French Benedictine monk and cardinal who played a significant role in the Investiture Controversy between the Catholic Church and the Holy Roman Empire.

One of the more famous historical figures with the name Jeff is Jefferson Davis, born in 1808, who served as the President of the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War.