Jefferson
Jefferson was the 831st most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 298 babies. Its best year was 1891, when it ranked 253rd; the most babies were born in 2009 (444). Over the last ten years it has moved down 159 places. More babies were named Jefferson in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning son of Jeffrey · English, Germanic
Say it JEF-er-sun /ˈdʒɛfərsən/
- Rank in 2025
- #831 boys, down 125 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 298boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2009444 babies
- Total since 1880
- 24,440babies recorded
What does the name Jefferson mean?
Jefferson is an English patronymic surname, Jeffrey plus -son, "son of Jeffrey," according to Wiktionary. DMNES explains Geoffrey, the older spelling, as a Germanic name whose first part is uncertain (a tribal name, a word for stranger, or a word for spear) and whose second part is fridu, peace. In the US the name honors Thomas Jefferson, the third president, after whom many places are named, as Wiktionary notes. Jefferson has been used since 1880.
fridu (Old High German, “peace”)
How sure is this? Probable. The '-son' patronymic is clear; the meaning of Geoffrey's first element is uncertain (DMNES).
Related names: Jeffrey, Geoffrey, Jeff, Jeffries.
See also: English names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Jefferson' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Geoffrey', DMNES (Durham University)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (yob*.txt), team3 computation of first year recorded, US Social Security Administration (public domain)
Nicknames for Jefferson
The usual nicknames for Jefferson are Jeff. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 boys named Jefferson in the last five years, 13 were named Jeff, against 56 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Boys, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jeff · also for Jeffrey, Jeffery, Geoffrey | Traditional | #3,342 | 215 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Jeffersons go by each one.
Jefferson popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #831 | 298 |
| 2020 | #706 | 357 |
| 2010 | #662 | 363 |
| 2000 | #717 | 243 |
| 1990 | #707 | 207 |
| 1980 | #657 | 176 |
| 1970 | #488 | 276 |
| 1960 | #597 | 173 |
| 1950 | #559 | 147 |
| 1940 | #586 | 102 |
| 1930 | #617 | 100 |
| 1920 | #488 | 154 |
| 1910 | #575 | 25 |
| 1900 | #475 | 24 |
| 1890 | #275 | 39 |
| 1880 | #255 | 43 |
How popular is Jefferson, counting every spelling?
Jefferson is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #776 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #831 for Jefferson on its own. Together these spellings went to 315 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jefferson | 298 | #831 | 1,701 |
| Jeferson | 17 | #5,492 | 85 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Jefferson?
298 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Jefferson (0.08 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Jefferson born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 28 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Jefferson.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Jefferson?
About 18,200 people born in the US named Jefferson are alive today, with a median age of 27; half are between 13 and 51. That makes Jefferson mostly worn by children and young adults. The wide spread shows a name popular in two different eras.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Jefferson by state
How common Jefferson was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Maryland (4.3×), Virginia (2.3×), New Jersey (2.0×), Georgia (1.7×), Massachusetts (1.6×). In 20 states fewer than five boys a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Jefferson: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Jefferson, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Jefferson · Sibling names for Jefferson
Questions about the name Jefferson
What does Jefferson mean?
Jefferson means “son of Jeffrey” (English, Germanic origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Jefferson?
Jefferson was the 831st most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 298 babies. Its best year was 1891, when it ranked 253rd; the most babies were born in 2009 (444). Over the last ten years it has moved down 159 places. More babies were named Jefferson in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Jefferson a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Jefferson in the US.
Where is Jefferson most popular?
In 2021–2025, Jefferson was most common in Maryland (0.85 per 1,000 boys), followed by Virginia and New Jersey.