Jefforey
Of Old English origin meaning "peaceful traveler or wanderer".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Jefforey. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Jefforey today is around 38 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jefforey births was 1986 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jefforey. 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 Jefforey. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
1986
5 babies that year
Average age
38
years old
1986 SSA rank
#7,193
Tracked since 1986
Popularity
Jefforey: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Jefforey 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 Jefforey during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Jefforey
The given name Jefforey is a variant spelling of the more common name Jeffrey, which has its origins in the medieval Germanic language. The name is derived from the Old German name "Godefrid," which means "peaceful ruler" or "peace ruler." The root words are "godu" meaning "god" and "fridu" meaning "peace."
The name Jefforey first appeared in written records during the Middle Ages, particularly in England and other parts of Western Europe. It was a popular name among the nobility and upper classes, as it conveyed a sense of authority and prestige. The earliest known reference to the name Jefforey can be found in the Domesday Book, a historical record compiled in 1086 by order of William the Conqueror.
One of the earliest known historical figures with the name Jefforey was Jefforey de Mandeville, an English nobleman who lived in the 12th century. He was a prominent figure during the reign of King Stephen and played a significant role in the civil war known as "The Anarchy." Another notable bearer of the name was Jefforey Chaucer, the famous English poet and author who lived from around 1343 to 1400. He is best known for his literary masterpiece, "The Canterbury Tales."
In the 13th century, Jefforey FitzPeter, an English nobleman and Chief Justiciar of England, held a prominent position in the court of King John. His legacy remains in the form of the Shropshire village of Jefforey's Muclestone, named after him. During the same period, Jefforey de Saumarez, a Norman knight, accompanied William the Conqueror to England and settled in the Channel Islands, where his descendants still reside.
In more recent history, Jefforey Archer, the English novelist and former politician, was born in 1940 and is still active today. He is best known for his novels such as "Kane and Abel" and "The Prodigal Daughter." Another notable figure with the name Jefforey was Jefforey Dahmer, the American serial killer who was active in the late 20th century and gained notoriety for his heinous crimes.
People
Jefforey + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jefforey 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
Jefforey: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jefforey?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jefforey 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Jefforey a common name?
We classify Jefforey as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% 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 Jefforey most popular?
The single biggest year for Jefforey was 1986, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jefforey is about 38 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 Jefforey in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Jefforey a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Jefforey 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 Jefforey still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Jefforey 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 Jefforey 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 Jefforey?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.