Boy · Germanic, through Norman French
Jeffrey
Say it: JEF-ree
Meaning
From Geoffrey, a Germanic name brought by the Normans; the first element is uncertain (perhaps 'district', 'stranger' or 'pledge') and the second is frithu 'peace'.
Uncertainseveral explanations, none settled.
Common in medieval England, it was a top-20 US name in the 1960s and 1970s.
Its wave through time
A fashion of the 1960s
In the United States
- 979,953 babies given this name since 1885
- At its height in 1966, about 1 in 59 boys
- 788 babies in 2020
Through the ages
Used by
The family of the name
Other spellings: Jeffery, Geoffrey
| French | Geoffroy |
|---|---|
| Italian | Goffredo |
| Spanish | Godofredo |
| German | Gottfried |
Famous bearers
- Geoffrey Chaucer, English poet
- Jeffrey Hunter, US actor
Names worth a look
Where this comes from
- English poll taxes and lay subsidy rolls (13th and 14th centuries)
- United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
- United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
Meanings and histories are compiled from the study of names and their languages and checked by a second review.
Meanings and histories are drawn from the study of names and their languages, each with a confidence rating; popularity figures come from official birth records. Name histories are a living field: if you know of a correction, we would be glad to hear it.