Jeffery
Jeffery was the 1556th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 110 babies. Its best year was 1966, when it ranked 42nd; the most babies were born in 1962 (9,282). Over the last ten years it has moved down 779 places. More babies were named Jeffery in the 1960s than in any other decade.
Meaning variant of Jeffrey (Geoffrey) · English, Germanic
Say it JEF-er-ee /ˈdʒɛfɚi/
- Rank in 2025
- #1,556 boys, down 562 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 110boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19629,282 babies
- Total since 1880
- 231,818babies recorded
What does the name Jeffery mean?
Jeffery is a variant of Jeffrey, the usual modern spelling of Geoffrey, as Wiktionary notes. Geoffrey came to England with the Normans from a Germanic name whose elements are debated: the second is frithu 'peace', and DMNES gives the first as the tribal name Gaut, walh 'foreigner', or gaisa 'arrow'. Geoffrey Chaucer is a famous medieval bearer. Jeffery was common in the US in the 1950s and 1960s.
frithu (Old High German, “peace”)
How sure is this? Uncertain. The first element of Geoffrey is disputed.
Related names: Jeffrey, Geoffrey, Jeff, Jeffry.
See also: Germanic names, names that mean peace.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Jeffery', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Geoffrey', 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)
Nicknames for Jeffery
The usual nicknames for Jeffery are Jeff. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 boys named Jeffery in the last five years, 28 were named Jeff, against 23 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Boys, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jeff · also for Jeffrey, Jefferson, 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 Jefferys go by each one.
Jeffery popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 1,269 since 1927.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,556 | 110 |
| 2020 | #994 | 215 |
| 2010 | #568 | 447 |
| 2000 | #333 | 837 |
| 1990 | #136 | 2,321 |
| 1980 | #90 | 3,324 |
| 1970 | #50 | 6,701 |
| 1960 | #55 | 7,658 |
| 1950 | #183 | 1,216 |
| 1940 | #512 | 128 |
| 1930 | #1,354 | 29 |
| 1920 | #2,867 | 10 |
| 1910 | #1,369 | 7 |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Jeffery, counting every spelling?
Jeffery has no other common spelling that sounds the same. Counting every name's spellings together, it ranks #1,473 for boys in 2025, against #1,556 on the official list.
How many kids will share the name Jeffery?
110 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Jeffery (0.03 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Jeffery 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 76 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Jeffery.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Jeffery?
About 190,400 people born in the US named Jeffery are alive today, with a median age of 57; half are between 45 and 64. That makes Jeffery a name most people associate with older generations.
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.
Jeffery by state
How common Jeffery was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Kentucky (2.2×), Alabama (2.1×), Michigan (2.1×), Georgia (2.0×), Tennessee (1.9×). In 28 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 Jeffery: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Jeffery, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Jeffery · Sibling names for Jeffery
Questions about the name Jeffery
What does Jeffery mean?
Jeffery is usually explained as “variant of Jeffrey (Geoffrey)”, but this is uncertain. Certainty: uncertain.
How popular is the name Jeffery?
Jeffery was the 1556th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 110 babies. Its best year was 1966, when it ranked 42nd; the most babies were born in 1962 (9,282). Over the last ten years it has moved down 779 places. More babies were named Jeffery in the 1960s than in any other decade.
Is Jeffery a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Jeffery in the US.
Where is Jeffery most popular?
In 2021–2025, Jeffery was most common in Kentucky (0.20 per 1,000 boys), followed by Alabama and Arkansas.