boy's name
Jeffery
JEF-ree
- Origin Germanic
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 3
- Letters 7
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 233,286
Ireland
#854
2009 births
Jeffery is a boy's name whose first element is genuinely disputed, though the second means peace. It is the third spelling of Geoffrey in our data, and the smallest — Jeffrey holds four times its volume.
- Jeffery is a name of Germanic origin.
- Peaked in 1962, when 9,331 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 30,140 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1894.
- 3 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Jeffery over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1890s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 5 |
| 1900s | 13 |
| 1910s | 129 |
| 1920s | 229 |
| 1930s | 295 |
| 1940s | 4,820 |
| 1950s | 46,087 |
| 1960s | 79,985 |
| 1970s | 44,857 |
| 1980s | 29,792 |
| 1990s | 14,685 |
| 2000s | 6,487 |
| 2010s | 3,448 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 986 |
What Jeffery means
Jeffery means peace, joined to a first element that is not settled — district, traveler and pledge have all been proposed. Only the peace half of the name is secure.
Where Jeffery comes from
Jeffery is a spelling of Geoffrey, from the Old French Geoffroi and ultimately a Germanic name ending in -frid, peace. The first element is the problem: at least three different Germanic names appear to have collapsed into one by the medieval period, giving gawia, a district, gala, a pledge, and gangaz, a traveler, so the name may mean peaceful territory, pledge of peace or traveling peace depending on which original it descends from. Medieval scribes did not distinguish them. English now holds three spellings — Geoffrey, Jeffrey and Jeffery — and our records treat them as separate names.
Jeffery in use
Jeffery peaked in the United States in 1962, when 9,331 babies were registered, and is falling in our data. It now charts in two of the seven markets we track — 1562nd in the United States on 110 births and 3608th in England and Wales — across 233,286 lifetime births. Jeffrey, the commoner spelling, holds 987,579 births, so this variant carries under a fifth of the pair's total despite peaking in the same year.
How popular is Jeffery?
In 2025, Jeffery was given to 110 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Jeffery is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Jeffery
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Jeffery also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Jeffery over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Jeffery
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Jeffery in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Jeffery
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Jeffery — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Jeffery
What does the name Jeffery mean?
The second half means peace. The first is disputed — district, pledge and traveler have all been proposed.
Is it Jeffery or Jeffrey?
Both are used. Jeffrey is far commoner, holding roughly four times the recorded births.
Why is the meaning uncertain?
At least three Germanic names appear to have merged during the medieval period, and scribes did not distinguish them.
How popular is Jeffery?
1562nd in the United States, down from a 1962 peak of 9,331 births.
Is Jeffery a girl's or a boy's name?
Jeffery is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Jeffery?
Jeffery has 3 syllables.
What are the nicknames for Jeffery?
Jeffery is usually shortened to Jeff.
Is Jeffery a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Jeffery currently ranks #1,562 in the United States. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.