Jeffrery
A masculine name derived from an Old Norman-French form of Geoffrey.
Name Census estimates that about 4 living Americans carry the first name Jeffrery. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Jeffrery today is around 64 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jeffrery births was 1969 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jeffrery. 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 Jeffrery. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
4
~ 1 in 85,688,585 Americans
Peak year
1969
5 babies that year
Average age
64
years old
1969 SSA rank
#4,682
Tracked since 1969
Popularity
Jeffrery: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Jeffrery 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 Jeffrery during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Jeffrery
The given name Jeffrery originated from the French form of the ancient Germanic name Geoffrey. The name derives from the Old German word "gawia" meaning "territory" or "district" and the proto-Germanic word "frid" meaning peace. Thus, the name Jeffrery essentially means "peaceful territory" or "peaceful land".
The name Geoffrey first appeared in the 8th century during the reign of Charlemagne, the first Holy Roman Emperor. It is believed that the name was introduced to France and other parts of Europe by the Normans who had settled in the region. Over time, the spelling evolved into various forms such as Jeffrey, Jeffery, and Jeffrery.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Jeffrery can be found in the Domesday Book, a manuscript commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. This record of landowners in England mentions a few individuals with the name, indicating its use in the 11th century.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Jeffrery. One of the most famous was Geoffrey Chaucer (c.1343-1400), an English poet and author widely regarded as the father of English literature. His seminal work, "The Canterbury Tales", is a collection of stories that provide a vivid portrayal of medieval English society.
Another notable Jeffrery was Geoffrey of Monmouth (c.1095-1155), a British cleric and one of the major figures in the development of the Arthurian legend. His work "Historia Regum Britanniae" (History of the Kings of Britain) is a pseudo-historical account that popularized the stories of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.
In the 16th century, Sir Jeffrey Farnese (1520-1590) was an Italian nobleman and military leader who served as a general in the Spanish Army during the Eighty Years' War against the Dutch Republic.
During the 17th century, Sir Jeffrey Amherst (1717-1797) was a British army officer and colonial administrator who served as the Governor-General of British North America. He played a significant role in the conquest of French Canada during the French and Indian War.
In the field of science, Jeffrey Dahmer (1960-1994) was an American serial killer and sex offender, known for his gruesome murders and acts of cannibalism, which earned him the moniker "The Milwaukee Cannibal".
People
Jeffrery + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jeffrery 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
Jeffrery: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jeffrery?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 4 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jeffrery 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 85,688,585 US residents.
Is Jeffrery a common name?
We classify Jeffrery as "Very Rare". It ranks above 6.2% 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 Jeffrery most popular?
The single biggest year for Jeffrery was 1969, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jeffrery is about 64 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 Jeffrery in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Jeffrery a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Jeffrery 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 Jeffrery still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Jeffrery 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 Jeffrery 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 have the name Jeffrery?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans are named Jeffrery at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.