Jeffery first name popularity, history and meaning

Find out how popular the first name Jeffery has been for the last 50 years (from 1974 to 2023) and learn more about the meaning and history.

Meaning of Jeffery

A masculine name of English origin meaning "district pledge".

Popularity of Jeffery by gender

Based on the last 50 years of data, Jeffery is more commonly used as a male name, with approximately 99% of people named Jeffery being male.

For the most recent data in 2023, there were 153 male babies and 0 female babies born with the name Jeffery.

Year Male Count Female Count
2023 153 0
2022 170 0
2021 183 0
2020 215 0
2019 243 0
2018 259 0
2017 312 0
2016 314 0
2015 304 0
2014 388 0
2013 395 0
2012 373 0
2011 408 0
2010 446 0
2009 479 0
2008 533 0
2007 554 0
2006 643 0
2005 607 0
2004 623 0
2003 697 0
2002 734 0
2001 779 0
2000 837 0
1999 923 0
1998 965 0
1997 1,080 0
1996 1,119 0
1995 1,273 5
1994 1,416 0
1993 1,626 0
1992 1,824 0
1991 2,121 0
1990 2,320 13
1989 2,478 7
1988 2,584 20
1987 2,645 26
1986 2,770 26
1985 2,946 33
1984 3,025 16
1983 3,154 22
1982 3,312 21
1981 3,335 22
1980 3,324 28
1979 3,358 29
1978 3,542 31
1977 3,564 21
1976 3,564 22
1975 3,904 28
1974 4,364 27

The history of the first name Jeffery

The name Jeffery is an English variant of the Old German name Geoffrey, which itself is derived from the Old French name Geoffroi. The name can be traced back to the medieval era, around the 12th century. It is composed of the Germanic elements "gau" meaning "territory" or "district," and "frid" meaning "peace." Thus, the name Jeffery can be interpreted to mean "peaceful territory" or "peaceful ruler."

In the Middle Ages, the name Geoffrey was relatively common among the Norman aristocracy in England and France. One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was Geoffrey Plantagenet, Count of Anjou, who lived from 1113 to 1151. He was the father of King Henry II of England and played a significant role in the Angevin dynasty.

The name Jeffery gained popularity in England during the medieval period and the Renaissance. One notable figure was Sir Jeffery Amherst, a British Army officer and colonial administrator who lived from 1717 to 1797. He is best known for his victories during the French and Indian War and for his controversial policy of distributing smallpox-infected blankets to Native Americans.

In literature, the name Jeffery appears in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, written in the late 14th century. The character Jeffery is portrayed as a prankish and mischievous young man.

During the Elizabethan era, Jeffery was a relatively common name among the English gentry. Jeffery Hudson, born in 1619, was a famous court dwarf who served as a courtier to Queen Henrietta Maria, wife of King Charles I.

In the 18th century, Jeffery Amherst, Lord Amherst, was a prominent British diplomat and politician who served as Governor-General of British India from 1823 to 1828.

Another notable figure was Jeffery Wyatville, an English architect and garden designer who lived from 1766 to 1840. He is best known for his work on Windsor Castle and the renovation of several other royal residences during the reign of King George IV.

Data source

The first name data used on this page comes from the Social Security Administration (SSA). They've been collecting data on baby names since 1880.

The history and meaning of the name Jeffery was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Jeffery, please contact us.

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"Jeffery first name popularity, history and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on October 31, 2024. http://namecensus.com/first-names/jeffery-meaning-and-history/.

"Jeffery first name popularity, history and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/first-names/jeffery-meaning-and-history/. Accessed 31 October, 2024

Jeffery first name popularity, history and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/first-names/jeffery-meaning-and-history/.

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