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

Jeffery, 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 Jeffery surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Jeffery in America

Jeffery is the 3638th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Jeffery surname appeared 9,766 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Jeffery.

We can also compare 2010 data for Jeffery 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 Jeffery

The surname Jeffery originates from England and dates back to the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the French personal name "Geoffrey" or "Godfrey," which means "peace of God" or "peaceful." The name Godfrey itself is a combination of the Old German words "god" and "frid," meaning "god" and "peace," respectively.

The Jeffery surname is thought to have first appeared in the county of Buckinghamshire, England. Records from the time mention individuals with the surname Jeffery residing in the parish of Great Missenden in Buckinghamshire. The earliest known recorded instance of the surname is in the Pipe Rolls of Bedfordshire in 1176, where a certain William Jeffery is mentioned.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, a landowner named "Geoffrei" is listed in the county of Suffolk. This is likely an early variation of the name Geoffrey, from which the surname Jeffery later derived. The Jeffery surname also appears in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273, which were a survey of landowners and tenants during the reign of King Edward I.

One of the earliest known bearers of the Jeffery surname was Sir John Jeffery, who was born in Wiltshire, England, in 1349. He served as a Member of Parliament for Wiltshire in 1376 and 1378. Another notable individual was Sir Robert Jeffery, born in 1592 in Gloucestershire, England. He was a prominent lawyer and served as a Member of Parliament for Gloucestershire in the 17th century.

In the 16th century, the surname Jeffery was also associated with the village of Jeffery Hamlet in Buckinghamshire, which likely derived its name from early residents with the Jeffery surname. One well-known bearer of the name was William Jeffery, born in 1616 in Gloucestershire, who served as a member of Oliver Cromwell's Protectorate Parliament in 1654.

Other notable individuals with the surname Jeffery throughout history include:

1. George Jeffery (1639-1677), an English painter known for his portraiture and historical works.
2. John Jeffery (1701-1767), a British landowner and philanthropist who established the Jeffery Prize at Christ's College, Cambridge.
3. Thomas Jeffery (1776-1856), an English clergyman and author who wrote extensively on theology and biblical criticism.
4. Walter Jeffery (1893-1966), a British colonial administrator who served as Governor of British Guiana from 1950 to 1953.
5. Roger Jeffery (born 1943), a British anthropologist and scholar known for his work on gender and social change in India.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Jeffery

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

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

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

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