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

Jefferson, 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 Jefferson surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Jefferson in America

Jefferson is the 615th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Jefferson surname appeared 55,179 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 19 people would have the surname Jefferson.

We can also compare 2010 data for Jefferson 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 Jefferson

The surname Jefferson originates from England and dates back to the late 11th century. It is derived from the Old English words "Ġeoffrey" and "tun," meaning "Geoffrey's town" or "Geoffrey's settlement." The name Geoffrey itself comes from the Old German name Godafrid or Godefroi, which means "peace of God."

The earliest known record of the surname Jefferson appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is written as "Geffries tun." This entry refers to a settlement in Warwickshire owned by a man named Geoffrey or Jeffry. Over time, the name evolved to various spellings, including Jeffreyson, Jeffresson, and eventually Jefferson.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Jefferson is found in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Returns of 1379, which lists a John Jefrayson. In the 15th century, the surname appears in various forms in records from counties like Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, and Derbyshire.

The surname Jefferson is also associated with several place names in England, such as Jeffreston in Gloucestershire and Jefferson in Oxfordshire. These place names likely derive from the same Old English roots as the surname itself.

Notable individuals throughout history who bore the surname Jefferson include:

1. Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), the third President of the United States and the principal author of the Declaration of Independence.
2. Joseph Jefferson (1829-1905), an American actor and playwright known for his portrayal of Rip Van Winkle.
3. Blind Lemon Jefferson (1893-1929), an American blues singer and songwriter from Texas.
4. Richard Jefferson (born 1980), an American former professional basketball player who played in the NBA.
5. Gideon Jefferson (1763-1826), an American Revolutionary War veteran and early settler of Louisiana.

The surname Jefferson has a rich history spanning centuries and continues to be a prominent name in various fields, from politics and literature to sports and entertainment.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Jefferson

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

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

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

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