Find out how popular the last name Jefferies is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Jefferies.

Jefferies, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Jefferies surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Jefferies in America

Jefferies is the 6809th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Jefferies surname appeared 4,953 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Jefferies.

We can also compare 2010 data for Jefferies to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Jefferies

The surname Jefferies originated in England during the medieval period. It is a patronymic surname, derived from the personal name Jeffrey, which is itself an English form of the ancient Germanic name Godfroi or Godefrid, meaning "peace of God." The earliest recorded spelling of the name was Geffrey, found in the Domesday Book of 1086.

In the 12th century, the surname began to appear in various forms, including Jeffray, Jeffries, and Jeffereys. These early spellings were influenced by regional dialects and the inconsistent spelling conventions of the time. The variant Jefferies emerged in the 14th century, particularly in the counties of Gloucestershire and Wiltshire.

One of the earliest documented individuals with the surname Jefferies was John Jefferies, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1243. Another early bearer of the name was William Jefferies, recorded in the Subsidy Rolls of Somerset in 1327.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname Jefferies became more widespread and was found in many parts of England. Notable individuals from this period include Sir John Jefferies (1555-1615), a distinguished lawyer and judge who served as Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer under King James I.

In the 18th century, the name Jefferies was associated with several prominent figures, including George Jefferies (1678-1755), a scholar and ecclesiastical writer, and George Jeffreys (1648-1689), the notorious Lord Chancellor of England during the reign of King James II, known for his brutal suppression of the Monmouth Rebellion.

Other notable bearers of the Jefferies surname include John Jefferies (1701-1795), a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the Seven Years' War and the American Revolutionary War, and Richard Jefferies (1848-1887), a renowned English writer and naturalist, best known for his works celebrating the English countryside.

The surname Jefferies has also been found in various place names throughout England, such as Jefferies Bank in Somerset and Jefferies Farm in Gloucestershire, further reinforcing its deep roots in the country's historical landscape.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Jefferies

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Jefferies.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Jefferies was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Jefferies has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

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

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

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