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

Jefferis, 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 Jefferis surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Jefferis in America

Jefferis is the 22906th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Jefferis surname appeared 1,117 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Jefferis.

We can also compare 2010 data for Jefferis 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 Jefferis

The surname Jefferis is believed to have originated in England during the late medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old English personal name "Gæfferus," which itself stems from the Germanic elements "gaf" meaning "gift" and "heri" meaning "army." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who distinguished themselves in military service.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Feet of Fines for Huntingdonshire in 1307, where a John Gefferey is mentioned. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 also contain a reference to a Henry Jefrey in Cambridgeshire. These early spellings indicate that the name likely evolved from Gefferey or Jefrey to its modern form of Jefferis over time.

In the 16th century, the Jefferis surname was particularly prevalent in the counties of Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire. The parish records of Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, for example, contain numerous entries for the Jefferis family during this period. One notable individual was William Jefferis (1552-1615), who served as the Rector of Wing, Buckinghamshire, from 1592 until his death.

Moving into the 17th century, the Jefferis name can be found in various historical records across England. John Jefferis (1616-1677) was a clergyman and author who served as the Rector of Petworth in Sussex. Another prominent figure was Benjamin Jefferis (1658-1712), a Quaker minister and writer from Warwickshire.

In the 18th century, the Jefferis family continued to make their mark in various fields. Samuel Jefferis (1710-1773) was a notable surveyor and mapmaker who produced detailed maps of several English counties. Meanwhile, William Jefferis (1736-1809) was a successful merchant and philanthropist in London, known for his charitable contributions to various causes.

As the 19th century dawned, the Jefferis surname spread further across the British Isles and beyond. David Jefferis (1802-1866) was a Welsh Baptist minister and author, while John Jefferis (1824-1901) was a prominent industrialist and politician in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, having emigrated from England in the mid-19th century.

Throughout its history, the Jefferis surname has been associated with a diverse range of individuals and professions, reflecting the rich tapestry of English heritage and the global reach of those bearing this name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Jefferis

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

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 Jefferis 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 Jefferis 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 Jefferis was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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