Jefford
Derived from an Old English surname meaning "peaceful ford".
Name Census estimates that about 9 living Americans carry the first name Jefford. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Jefford today is around 66 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jefford births was 1957 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jefford. 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
- • The typical person named Jefford is about 66 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Jeffords were born before 1970.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Jefford. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
9
~ 1 in 38,083,815 Americans
Peak year
1957
6 babies that year
Average age
66
years old
1958 SSA rank
#4,214
Tracked since 1957
Popularity
Jefford: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Jefford 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 Jefford during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 11 | 0 | 11 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Jefford
The name Jefford is believed to have originated from the Old English language, derived from the elements "Geoff" and "ford." The prefix "Geoff" is a diminutive form of the name Geoffrey, which itself comes from the Old French "Geffrei" or "Geoffroi," meaning "territory" or "peace." The suffix "ford" is a common English place name element referring to a shallow river crossing or a ford.
This combination of elements suggests that Jefford may have initially referred to someone living near a ford or river crossing, possibly in a territory or region called Geoff. The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the 12th century in England, where it was used as both a given name and a surname.
One of the earliest known individuals with the name Jefford was Sir Jefford de Weston, a knight who served under King Edward II of England in the early 14th century. Another notable figure was Jefford Chaucer, a distant relative of the famous poet Geoffrey Chaucer, who lived in the late 14th century.
During the Renaissance period, Jefford became a more widely used name across Europe. Jefford Holbein, a Swiss painter and printmaker active in the early 16th century, is remembered for his portraits of prominent figures such as Henry VIII of England and Erasmus of Rotterdam.
In the 17th century, Jefford Winthrop was a prominent Puritan leader and one of the founding governors of the Massachusetts Bay Colony in New England. He played a significant role in shaping the early colonial government and policies.
Fast-forwarding to the 19th century, Jefford Muir was a Scottish-born naturalist and early advocate for the preservation of wilderness areas in the United States. He is widely regarded as the "Father of the National Parks" and was instrumental in establishing Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks.
While the name Jefford has retained some usage over the centuries, it has never been among the most common given names. Its unique blend of Old English elements and historical associations, however, have contributed to its enduring presence as a distinctive and intriguing name choice.
People
Jefford + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jefford as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with J
Other first names starting with J with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Jefford: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jefford?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 9 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jefford 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 1 in 38,083,815 US residents.
Is Jefford a common name?
We classify Jefford as "Very Rare". It ranks above 25.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 11 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Jefford most popular?
The single biggest year for Jefford was 1957, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jefford is about 66 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 Jefford in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Jefford a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Jefford 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 Jefford still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Jefford 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 Jefford 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 many people are named Jefford?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.