Etymology & Historical Origin of the Baby Name Jeffrey

Jeffrey is a modern respelling of Geoffrey, a male given name that dates back to the Middle Ages. Geoffrey is of Germanic (Frankish) origin but the name’s meaning is debated and uncertain. Most likely the name developed from Godfrey which also has Frankish and Germanic roots. The words “god/gōd” essentially means "God, good, divine" and “fred/frid” means "peace."  Therefore, the meaning of the name has to do with God’s peace or some divine (good) sense of peace. Geoffrey was brought to the British Isles by the Normans. Three important men held the name Geoffrey in English history. One, Geoffrey Plantagenet was a Frenchman and father to King Henry II, thus launching the royal house of Plantagenet which ruled England from the 12th to 15th centuries. The other, Geoffrey of Monmouth, was a Welshman and British historian also dating back to the 12th century. He is the one we can thank for preserving the tales of King Arthur’s Court and other stories from Celtic mythology. Lastly, Geoffrey Chaucer was a 14th century poet and notable author of “The Canterbury Tales.”  The new spelling Jeffrey developed phonetically in modern times and is now the much more widely used form of the name within English-speaking nations.

All About the Baby Name – Jeffrey

Personality

OF THE BOY NAME JEFFREY

The Three energy is powerful and enthusiastic. These personalities are cheerful, full of self-expression, and often quite emotional. They have an artistic flair and "gift-of-gab" that makes them natural entertainers. Their joyfulness bubbles over, and their infectious exuberance draws a crowd. The Three personality is like a child - forever young and full of delight. They are charming, witty, and generally happy people. The Three personality lives in the "now" and has a spontaneous nature. Threes seem to live with a bright and seemingly unbreakable aura that attracts others to them. In turn, they are deeply loyal and loving to their friends and family. Luck also has a tendency to favor number Threes.

Popularity

OF THE BOY NAME JEFFREY

The name Jeffrey first appeared on the U.S. popularity charts in 1934 and it only took the name 10 years to achieve a spot on the Top 100 list of most commonly used boy names in 1945. Not only that, but Jeffrey would remain on the Top 100 list consistently for the next 50 plus years. The height of Jeffrey’s success was definitely during the 1960s and 70s when it was a Top 20 favorite among American parents. The name finally fell off the Top 100 list in 1999 and it’s been going out of vogue pretty fast compared it its earlier success. Jeffrey is a name that was wildly popular in the latter half of the 20th century. It had a good ride on the charts, but his time has come to step aside for the newer trends. Geoffrey is a fancier choice if you want to sound more Scottish or Welsh. Jeffrey is almost invariably shortened to Jeff which is an attractive, strong, one-syllable “J” name for a boy. Jeffrey is still a risk-free choice. Maybe no longer as ϋber-popular as it once was, Jeff(rey) is a simple, unpretentious name. And perhaps you and your little boy will be blessed with “God’s peace”.

Quick Facts

ON JEFFREY

GENDER:

Boy

ORIGIN:

English

NUMBER OF SYLLABLES:

2

RANKING POPULARITY:

256

PRONUNCIATION:

JEFF-ree

SIMPLE MEANING:

God's peace

Characteristics

OF JEFFREY

Communicative

Creative

Optimistic

Popular

Social

Dramatic

Happy

Cultural References to the Baby Name – Jeffrey

Literary Characters

OF THE BABY NAME JEFFREY

We cannot find any significant literary characters by the name of Jeffrey

Childrens Books

ON THE BABY NAME JEFFREY

We cannot find any childrens books with the first name Jeffrey


Popular Songs

ON JEFFREY

A Song for Jeffrey
a song by Jethro Tull

For Michael Collins, Jeffrey and Me
a song by Jethro Tull

Jeffrey Goes to Leicester Square
a song by Jethro Tull

Love Song for Jeffrey
a song by Helen Reddy

Suzy and Jeffrey
a song by Blondie

The Jeffrey
a song by Brave Combo

Under The Gun (For Jeffrey Lee Pierce)
a song by Blondie

For Michael Collins, Jeffrey And Me
a song by Jethro Tull

Famous People

NAMED JEFFREY

Jeffrey Combs (actor)
Jeffrey Hunter (actor)
Jeffrey Tambor (actor)
Jeffrey Dahmer (notorious)
Jeffrey Carver (author)
Jeffrey Buttle (figure skater)
Jeffrey Townes (aka DJ Jazzy Jeff)
Geoffrey "Jeff" Beck (guitarist)
Jeffrey "Jeff" Porcaro (drummer)
Jeffrey "Jeff" Tweedy (musician)
Jeffrey "Jeff" Bagwell (baseball player)
Jeffrey "Jeff" Burton (racecar driver)
Jeffrey Francis (baseball player)
Jeffery "Jeff" Gordon (racecar driver)
Jeffrey "Jeff" Daniels (actor)
Jeffrey "Jeff" Bridges (actor)
Jeffrey "Jeff" Foxworthy (comic/actor)
Jeffrey "Jeff" Goldblum (actor)
Jeffrey "Jeff" Probst (host of Survivor)
Jeffrey "Jeff" Bezos (founder of Amazon.com)
Jeffrey Combs (actor)
Jeffrey Hunter (actor)
Jeffrey Tambor (actor)
Jeffrey Dahmer (notorious)
Jeffrey Carver (author)
Jeffrey Buttle (figure skater)
Jeffrey Townes (aka DJ Jazzy Jeff)
Geoffrey "Jeff" Beck (guitarist)
Jeffrey "Jeff" Porcaro (drummer)
Jeffrey "Jeff" Tweedy (musician)
Jeffrey "Jeff" Bagwell (baseball player)
Jeffrey "Jeff" Burton (racecar driver)
Jeffrey Francis (baseball player)
Jeffery "Jeff" Gordon (racecar driver)
Jeffrey "Jeff" Daniels (actor)
Jeffrey "Jeff" Bridges (actor)
Jeffrey "Jeff" Foxworthy (comic/actor)
Jeffrey "Jeff" Goldblum (actor)
Jeffrey "Jeff" Probst (host of Survivor)
Jeffrey "Jeff" Bezos (founder of Amazon.com)
Jeffrey Combs (actor)
Jeffrey Hunter (actor)
Jeffrey Tambor (actor)
Jeffrey Dahmer (notorious)
Jeffrey Carver (author)
Jeffrey Buttle (figure skater)
Jeffrey Townes (aka DJ Jazzy Jeff)
Geoffrey "Jeff" Beck (guitarist)
Jeffrey "Jeff" Porcaro (drummer)
Jeffrey "Jeff" Tweedy (musician)
Jeffrey "Jeff" Bagwell (baseball player)
Jeffrey "Jeff" Burton (racecar driver)
Jeffrey Francis (baseball player)
Jeffery "Jeff" Gordon (racecar driver)
Jeffrey "Jeff" Daniels (actor)
Jeffrey "Jeff" Bridges (actor)
Jeffrey "Jeff" Foxworthy (comic/actor)
Jeffrey "Jeff" Goldblum (actor)
Jeffrey "Jeff" Probst (host of Survivor)
Jeffrey "Jeff" Bezos (founder of Amazon.com)

Children of Famous People

NAMED JEFFREY

We cannot find any children of famous people with the first name Jeffrey

Historic Figures

WITH THE NAME JEFFREY

We cannot find any historically significant people with the first name Jeffrey