boy's name
Jeffrey
JEF-ree
- Origin Germanic
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 7
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 995,989
the United States
#552
2025 births
Jeffrey is a boy's name from Germanic roots whose first element is genuinely disputed, though the second means peace. Like Susan, it now charts in only three of our seven markets, holding 552nd in the United States and 1755th in England and Wales.
- Jeffrey is a name of Germanic origin.
- Peaked in 1962, when 33,615 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 6,094 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1885.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Jeffrey over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s 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 |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 5 |
| 1910s | 147 |
| 1920s | 263 |
| 1930s | 903 |
| 1940s | 34,463 |
| 1950s | 185,040 |
| 1960s | 302,954 |
| 1970s | 203,818 |
| 1980s | 145,673 |
| 1990s | 67,170 |
| 2000s | 25,956 |
| 2010s | 12,751 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 3,956 |
What Jeffrey means
Jeffrey 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 Jeffrey comes from
Jeffrey 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 Geoffrey may mean peaceful territory, pledge of peace or traveling peace depending on which original it descends from. Medieval scribes did not distinguish them and neither can we. The Normans brought it to England, where Geoffrey Chaucer and Geoffrey of Monmouth both carried it, and the Jeffrey spelling is the later English respelling that became standard in America.
Jeffrey in use
Jeffrey peaked in the United States in 1962, when 33,615 babies were registered, and is falling in our data. It now charts in only three of our seven markets — 552nd in the United States on 544 births, 969th in Canada and 1755th in England and Wales — across 995,989 lifetime births. That narrow reach is shared with Susan and reflects a name whose spread was almost entirely mid-century and almost entirely American.
How popular is Jeffrey?
In 2025, Jeffrey was given to 544 babies in the United States, ranking #552 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Jeffrey 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 Jeffrey
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Jeffrey also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Jeffrey over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Jeffrey
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.
Jeffrey 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 Jeffrey
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Jeffrey — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Jeffrey
What does the name Jeffrey mean?
The second half means peace. The first is disputed — district, pledge and traveler have all been proposed.
Is it Jeffrey or Geoffrey?
Geoffrey is the older Norman spelling; Jeffrey is the English respelling and is the standard American form.
Why is Jeffrey's meaning uncertain?
At least three different Germanic names appear to have merged into one during the medieval period, and scribes did not distinguish them.
How popular is Jeffrey?
552nd in the United States, down from a 1962 peak of 33,615 births.
Is Jeffrey a girl's or a boy's name?
Jeffrey is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Jeffrey?
Jeffrey has 2 syllables.
What are the nicknames for Jeffrey?
Jeffrey is usually shortened to Jeff.
Is Jeffrey a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Jeffrey currently ranks #552 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.