NameCensus.

UK surname

Jeffery

Derived from a medieval personal name, from the Old French Jefroi, Jeufroi, or Gefrey, meaning "district, region, or traveler."

In the 1881 census there were 6,476 people recorded with the Jeffery surname, ranking it #656 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 9,490, ranked #677, down from #656 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Illogan, London parishes and Tunbridge, Bidborough. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Torridge, Derbyshire Dales and North Devon.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Jeffery is 10,025 in 2002. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 46.5%.

1881 census count

6,476

Ranked #656

Modern count

9,490

2016, ranked #677

Peak year

2002

10,025 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Jeffery had 6,476 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #656 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 9,490 in 2016, ranked #677.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 9,622 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Jeffery surname distribution map

The map shows where the Jeffery surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Jeffery surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Jeffery over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 5,356 #515
1861 historical 4,944 #571
1881 historical 6,476 #656
1891 historical 7,428 #603
1901 historical 8,721 #602
1911 historical 9,622 #511
1997 modern 9,419 #667
1998 modern 9,777 #665
1999 modern 9,957 #656
2000 modern 10,021 #647
2001 modern 9,855 #641
2002 modern 10,025 #645
2003 modern 9,787 #649
2004 modern 9,704 #654
2005 modern 9,426 #663
2006 modern 9,315 #671
2007 modern 9,377 #670
2008 modern 9,431 #673
2009 modern 9,653 #668
2010 modern 9,805 #674
2011 modern 9,704 #669
2012 modern 9,526 #672
2013 modern 9,678 #671
2014 modern 9,741 #671
2015 modern 9,602 #674
2016 modern 9,490 #677

Geography

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Where Jefferys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Illogan, London parishes and Tunbridge, Bidborough. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Torridge, Derbyshire Dales, North Devon and Cornwall. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Illogan Cornwall
2 London parishes London 1
3 Tunbridge, Bidborough Kent
4 London parishes London 3
5 London parishes London 2

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Torridge 005 Torridge
2 Derbyshire Dales 010 Derbyshire Dales
3 North Devon 008 North Devon
4 Torridge 004 Torridge
5 Cornwall 065 Cornwall

Forenames

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First names often paired with Jeffery

These lists show first names that appear often with the Jeffery surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Jeffery

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Jeffery, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Jeffery surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Jeffery household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Jeffery is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Jeffery is most concentrated in decile 5 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

5
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Jeffery falls in decile 4 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

4
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Jeffery is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Jeffery, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Jeffery

The surname Jeffery originates from England and dates back to the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the French personal name "Geoffrey" or "Godfrey," which means "peace of God" or "peaceful." The name Godfrey itself is a combination of the Old German words "god" and "frid," meaning "god" and "peace," respectively.

The Jeffery surname is thought to have first appeared in the county of Buckinghamshire, England. Records from the time mention individuals with the surname Jeffery residing in the parish of Great Missenden in Buckinghamshire. The earliest known recorded instance of the surname is in the Pipe Rolls of Bedfordshire in 1176, where a certain William Jeffery is mentioned.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, a landowner named "Geoffrei" is listed in the county of Suffolk. This is likely an early variation of the name Geoffrey, from which the surname Jeffery later derived. The Jeffery surname also appears in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273, which were a survey of landowners and tenants during the reign of King Edward I.

One of the earliest known bearers of the Jeffery surname was Sir John Jeffery, who was born in Wiltshire, England, in 1349. He served as a Member of Parliament for Wiltshire in 1376 and 1378. Another notable individual was Sir Robert Jeffery, born in 1592 in Gloucestershire, England. He was a prominent lawyer and served as a Member of Parliament for Gloucestershire in the 17th century.

In the 16th century, the surname Jeffery was also associated with the village of Jeffery Hamlet in Buckinghamshire, which likely derived its name from early residents with the Jeffery surname. One well-known bearer of the name was William Jeffery, born in 1616 in Gloucestershire, who served as a member of Oliver Cromwell's Protectorate Parliament in 1654.

Other notable individuals with the surname Jeffery throughout history include:

1. George Jeffery (1639-1677), an English painter known for his portraiture and historical works. 2. John Jeffery (1701-1767), a British landowner and philanthropist who established the Jeffery Prize at Christ's College, Cambridge. 3. Thomas Jeffery (1776-1856), an English clergyman and author who wrote extensively on theology and biblical criticism. 4. Walter Jeffery (1893-1966), a British colonial administrator who served as Governor of British Guiana from 1950 to 1953. 5. Roger Jeffery (born 1943), a British anthropologist and scholar known for his work on gender and social change in India.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Jeffery families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Jeffery surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Devon leads with 965 Jefferys recorded in 1881 and an index of 7.31x.

County Total Index
Devon 965 7.31x
Kent 724 3.35x
Cornwall 587 8.17x
Middlesex 550 0.87x
Surrey 483 1.56x
Hampshire 418 3.21x
Sussex 405 3.79x
Somerset 259 2.54x
Yorkshire 203 0.32x
Essex 157 1.25x
Northamptonshire 157 2.63x
Derbyshire 123 1.24x
Dorset 122 2.93x
Gloucestershire 112 0.90x
Lancashire 93 0.12x
Nottinghamshire 92 1.08x
Suffolk 89 1.15x
Warwickshire 88 0.55x
Wiltshire 87 1.55x
Lincolnshire 82 0.81x
Cambridgeshire 59 1.47x
Staffordshire 56 0.26x
Buckinghamshire 51 1.33x
Hertfordshire 49 1.12x
Berkshire 48 1.01x
Durham 42 0.22x
Northumberland 40 0.42x
Worcestershire 35 0.42x
Lanarkshire 30 0.15x
Renfrewshire 28 0.57x
Royal Navy 23 3.04x
Glamorgan 21 0.19x
Bedfordshire 20 0.61x
Cumberland 20 0.37x
Ayrshire 18 0.38x
Leicestershire 18 0.26x
Huntingdonshire 16 1.27x
Monmouthshire 16 0.35x
Oxfordshire 16 0.41x
Angus 13 0.22x
Cheshire 13 0.09x
Midlothian 13 0.15x
Norfolk 13 0.13x
West Lothian 13 1.36x
Dumfriesshire 9 0.64x
Channel Islands 7 0.37x
Rutland 5 1.07x
Perthshire 4 0.14x
Dunbartonshire 3 0.18x
Aberdeenshire 2 0.03x
Morayshire 2 0.20x
Shropshire 2 0.04x
Roxburghshire 1 0.09x
Westmorland 1 0.07x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Tonbridge in Kent leads with 98 Jefferys recorded in 1881 and an index of 12.55x.

Place Total Index
Tonbridge 98 12.55x
Portsea 93 3.65x
Lambeth 82 1.48x
Hartland 78 189.73x
Camberwell 77 1.90x
Illogan 59 31.03x
Brighton 55 2.55x
St Marylebone London 53 1.56x
Stoke Damerel 52 5.63x
Chagford 47 148.64x
Plymouth St Andrew 47 4.62x
Islington London 44 0.72x
Plymouth Charles The 40 6.88x
Sevenoaks 39 22.23x
Lamberhurst 37 137.29x
Folkestone 36 8.57x
Hackney London 36 1.01x
St Ive 36 78.16x
Birmingham 34 0.64x
Paddington London 34 1.46x
Battersea 33 1.41x
Medstead 33 302.20x
Nottingham St Mary 33 1.49x
Elmdon 32 240.06x
Aston 30 0.68x
Wood Ditton 30 89.31x
Newington 29 1.24x
Pembury 29 94.52x
Sithney 29 39.96x
Bromley London 28 2.01x
Moreton Hampstead 28 82.02x
Brixham 27 17.65x
Deptford St Paul 27 1.62x
Greenwich 27 2.67x
Leeds 27 0.76x
Maidstone 27 4.19x
Combe St Nicholas 26 105.31x
Croydon 26 1.52x
Cuckfield 26 24.07x
Derby St Werburgh 26 4.53x
Fareham 26 16.64x
St Agnes 25 24.86x
Arkesden 24 263.16x
Eastbourne 24 4.88x
Hammersmith London 24 1.54x
Holsworthy 24 64.41x
Kenwyn 24 12.78x
St Pancras London 24 0.47x
Barnstaple 23 11.10x
East Peckham 23 51.17x
Edenbridge 23 54.18x
Mile End Old Town London 23 1.70x
Paul 23 17.63x
Chelsea London 22 1.15x
Redruth 22 10.83x
Thorncombe 22 91.93x
Bermondsey 21 1.11x
Bideford 21 14.85x
Royal Navy 21 3.25x
Southampton St Mary 21 2.57x
Broadwinsor 20 73.34x
Rotherhithe 20 2.55x
St John Winchester 20 73.21x
Bradwell 19 85.55x
East Stonehouse 19 7.30x
Farnham 19 7.90x
Haughley 19 98.65x
Kettering 19 7.87x
Linkinhorne 19 37.98x
Northampton St Giles 19 8.36x
Woolwich 19 2.38x
Bristol St James St Paul 18 4.34x
Calverton 18 66.52x
Crewkerne 18 16.60x
Dittisham 18 138.14x
Great Chesterford 18 90.77x
Lindfield 18 39.81x
Stowmarket 18 20.16x
Wilton 18 45.37x
Yalding 18 32.93x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Jeffery surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 406
Elizabeth 287
Sarah 157
Jane 121
Ann 106
Eliza 99
Ellen 97
Annie 95
Emma 95
Alice 88
Emily 88
Louisa 67
Caroline 61
Harriet 58
Charlotte 47
Edith 43
Fanny 42
Hannah 42
Susan 42
Florence 41
Lucy 39
Clara 38
Martha 38
Maria 35
Catherine 33
Kate 33
Margaret 31
Ada 29
Grace 28
Harriett 27
Bessie 25
Amelia 23
Frances 22
Minnie 22
Elizth. 21
Agnes 20
Anne 20
Julia 19
Rose 19
Jessie 16
Bertha 14
Anna 13
Rebecca 13
Sophia 12
Flora 11
Matilda 11
Selina 11
Amy 10
Isabella 10
Laura 10

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Jeffery surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
William 492
John 340
George 210
Thomas 193
James 172
Henry 133
Charles 124
Joseph 85
Frederick 79
Alfred 77
Samuel 70
Edward 69
Richard 66
Albert 64
Arthur 61
Robert 59
Walter 49
Harry 38
Frank 33
Herbert 30
Ernest 27
Edwin 23
Benjamin 19
Stephen 17
David 16
Francis 16
Fred 14
Fredk. 12
Tom 12
Sidney 11
Wm. 11
Thos. 10
Daniel 9
Peter 9
Christopher 8
Lewis 8
Philip 8
Alexander 7
Edgar 7
Harold 7
Willm. 7
Fredrick 6
Hezekiah 6
Hugh 6
Nicholas 6
Sydney 6
Geo. 5
Jno. 5
Louis 5
Martin 5

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Jeffery households.

FAQ

Jeffery surname: questions and answers

How common was the Jeffery surname in 1881?

In 1881, 6,476 people were recorded with the Jeffery surname. That placed it at #656 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Jeffery surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 9,490 in 2016. That gives Jeffery a modern rank of #677.

What does the Jeffery surname mean?

Derived from a medieval personal name, from the Old French Jefroi, Jeufroi, or Gefrey, meaning "district, region, or traveler."

What does the Jeffery map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Jeffery bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.