NameCensus.

UK surname

Jefferys

An English surname derived from an Old French variant of "Geoffrey".

In the 1881 census there were 549 people recorded with the Jefferys surname, ranking it #6,284 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 487, ranked #10,172, down from #6,284 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Ealing, Chiswick and St Pancras. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Leeds, North Devon and Tonbridge and Malling.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Jefferys is 788 in 1901. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 11.3%.

1881 census count

549

Ranked #6,284

Modern count

487

2016, ranked #10,172

Peak year

1901

788 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Jefferys had 549 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #6,284 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 487 in 2016, ranked #10,172.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 788 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Jefferys surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Jefferys surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Jefferys 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 365 #6,492
1861 historical 380 #6,726
1881 historical 549 #6,284
1891 historical 627 #6,172
1901 historical 788 #5,711
1911 historical 557 #7,210
1997 modern 458 #9,939
1998 modern 481 #9,893
1999 modern 482 #9,950
2000 modern 501 #9,619
2001 modern 497 #9,516
2002 modern 514 #9,451
2003 modern 484 #9,717
2004 modern 484 #9,729
2005 modern 466 #9,935
2006 modern 454 #10,180
2007 modern 454 #10,264
2008 modern 450 #10,416
2009 modern 467 #10,372
2010 modern 472 #10,488
2011 modern 477 #10,319
2012 modern 486 #10,073
2013 modern 493 #10,119
2014 modern 504 #10,023
2015 modern 491 #10,134
2016 modern 487 #10,172

Geography

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Where Jefferys' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Ealing, Chiswick, St Pancras and St Mary Islington. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Leeds, North Devon, Tonbridge and Malling, Tunbridge Wells and Central Bedfordshire. 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 London parishes London 1
2 London parishes London 3
3 Ealing, Chiswick Middlesex (Exclusive Of London Districts)
4 St Pancras London (North Districts)
5 St Mary Islington London (North Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Leeds 072 Leeds
2 North Devon 003 North Devon
3 Tonbridge and Malling 002 Tonbridge and Malling
4 Tunbridge Wells 013 Tunbridge Wells
5 Central Bedfordshire 020 Central Bedfordshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Jefferys

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Jefferys

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Jefferys, 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 Jefferys surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Jefferys 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, Jefferys 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

Jefferys is most concentrated in decile 4 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.

4
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Jefferys falls in decile 8 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

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

8
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Jefferys 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 Jefferys, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Jefferys

The surname Jefferys has its origins in England, where it first appeared around the 13th century. It is an English patronymic surname derived from the medieval given name Jeffrey, which itself is an anglicized form of the Old French name Geoffrey. Geoffrey was a Norman French version of the Germanic name Gaufrid, meaning "traveler" or "pilgrim."

The Jefferys surname is believed to have originated in the counties of Gloucestershire and Somerset in the southwest of England. Early records show variations in spelling, including Jeffreys, Jeffries, and Jefferyes. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Hundred Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1273, which mention a Richard Geffrey.

The Jefferys surname is not listed in the Domesday Book of 1086, as it had not yet emerged as a hereditary surname at that time. However, the given name Geoffrey is present, indicating the potential for the surname to develop in the following centuries.

One notable early bearer of the Jefferys surname was John Jefferys, a 14th-century English cleric who served as the Bishop of Ardfert in Ireland from 1354 to 1365. Another was George Jefferys (c. 1610-1685), an English merchant and politician who served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1681.

The name Jefferys has also been connected to various place names in England, such as Jefferies Bank in Somerset and Jeffrey's Mount in Gloucestershire. These locations may have been named after individuals bearing the Jefferys surname or derived from a similar root.

Other notable individuals with the Jefferys surname include:

1. Thomas Jefferys (1719-1771), a renowned English cartographer and geographer who produced numerous maps and atlases. 2. Nathaniel Jefferys (1677-1712), an English churchman and writer who served as the Bishop of St. Davids. 3. George Jefferys (1648-1689), an English playwright and poet known for his tragedies and comedies. 4. John Jefferys (1701-1784), an English clergyman and author who wrote on theological and historical subjects. 5. William Jefferys (1837-1916), an English architect and surveyor who designed numerous buildings in the West Midlands region.

The Jefferys surname has a rich history rooted in England, with early bearers contributing to various fields, including religion, literature, cartography, and architecture. While the name has evolved in spelling over time, it continues to reflect its English origins and the legacy of its notable bearers throughout the centuries.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Jefferys families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Jefferys 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. Middlesex leads with 138 Jefferys' recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.50x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 138 2.50x
Surrey 67 2.49x
Wiltshire 57 11.69x
Somerset 42 4.73x
Kent 26 1.38x
Hampshire 21 1.86x
Lancashire 20 0.31x
Lincolnshire 18 2.04x
Channel Islands 16 9.80x
Yorkshire 16 0.29x
Staffordshire 15 0.81x
Hertfordshire 13 3.42x
Devon 12 1.05x
Monmouthshire 12 3.01x
Oxfordshire 11 3.23x
Buckinghamshire 9 2.70x
Sussex 9 0.97x
Northamptonshire 7 1.35x
Bedfordshire 6 2.10x
Carmarthenshire 6 2.58x
Essex 6 0.55x
Warwickshire 6 0.43x
Dorset 5 1.38x
Glamorgan 4 0.42x
Worcestershire 4 0.56x
Gloucestershire 3 0.28x
Leicestershire 3 0.49x
Cornwall 2 0.32x
Derbyshire 2 0.23x
Durham 2 0.12x
Shropshire 2 0.42x
Suffolk 2 0.30x
Berkshire 1 0.24x
Huntingdonshire 1 0.91x
Nottinghamshire 1 0.13x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. St Pancras London in Middlesex leads with 22 Jefferys' recorded in 1881 and an index of 4.96x.

Place Total Index
St Pancras London 22 4.96x
Chelsea London 21 12.64x
Bermondsey 14 8.53x
Stoke Upon Trent 14 7.10x
Bremhill 13 590.91x
Chatham 11 21.26x
Walcot 11 23.28x
Blackbourton 10 2500.00x
Southwark St George Martyr 10 9.02x
St Peter Port 10 33.10x
Twerton 10 109.29x
Bath St James 9 97.30x
Isleworth 9 36.73x
Newington 9 4.42x
Semington 9 1125.00x
Aberystruth 8 22.78x
Buckfastleigh 8 151.23x
Camberwell 8 2.27x
Shoreditch London 8 3.35x
St George In East London 8 15.43x
Taunton St Mary 8 49.11x
Chiswick 7 23.24x
East Haddon 7 492.96x
Gedney 7 194.44x
Hackney London 7 2.27x
Hill Deverill 7 2692.31x
Mile End Old Town London 7 5.97x
St Swithin Lincoln 7 50.51x
Swindon 7 18.51x
Ashtead 6 342.86x
Birmingham 6 1.30x
Clerkenwell London 6 4.61x
Laugharne 6 194.81x
Maidstone 6 10.71x
Southwark St Saviour 6 21.18x
St George Hanover Square 6 6.18x
St Helier 6 11.28x
Blackburn 5 2.87x
Lambeth 5 1.04x
Northwood 5 31.08x
Portsea 5 2.26x
Potterne 5 229.36x
Shefford 5 246.31x
St George Bloomsbury 5 15.81x
Taplow 5 248.76x
Brickendon 4 227.27x
Cardiff St Mary 4 7.57x
Compton Bassett 4 563.38x
Ecclesall Bierlow 4 3.60x
Fulham London 4 5.00x
Holy Trinity 4 3.04x
Hornsey 4 5.74x
Islington London 4 0.75x
Maiden Bradley 4 357.14x
St Helens 4 48.72x
St Luke London 4 4.52x
St Marylebone London 4 1.36x
St Sepulchre London 4 49.57x
Toxteth Park 4 1.81x
Welwyn 4 121.58x
Weymouth 4 58.39x
Yardley 4 21.72x
Algarkirk 3 306.12x
Beer Crocombe 3 1153.85x
Bow London 3 4.28x
Grays Thurrock 3 29.67x
Hastings St Mary In The 3 15.14x
Hertingfordbury 3 193.55x
Hove 3 7.36x
Landford 3 600.00x
Leicester St Mary 3 6.08x
Llanvetherine 3 714.29x
Manchester 3 1.02x
Milton In Gravesend 3 10.64x
North Savernake 3 1428.57x
Ormesby 3 20.44x
Salford 3 1.56x
Wandsworth 3 5.66x
Antony 2 33.17x
Sheffield 2 1.15x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 31
Elizabeth 22
Sarah 15
Eliza 13
Emma 12
Jane 10
Annie 9
Charlotte 9
Emily 9
Louisa 8
Florence 7
Rose 7
Anne 6
Ann 5
Hannah 5
Harriet 5
Susan 5
Ada 4
Agnes 4
Alice 4
Harriett 4
Kate 4
Amy 3
Bessie 3
Caroline 3
Catherine 3
Clara 3
Edith 3
Ellen 3
Helen 3
Julia 3
Lucy 3
Margaret 3
Maria 3
Martha 3
Rebecca 3
E. 2
Evelyn 2
Fanny 2
Georgina 2
Helena 2
Lillian 2
Marion 2
Matilda 2
Minnie 2
Winifred 2
C. 1
C.M.C. 1
Elizebeth 1
Elizh. 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 28
George 23
John 23
Thomas 19
James 16
Charles 13
Henry 12
Frederick 8
Joseph 8
Walter 8
Stephen 7
Arthur 6
Alfred 5
Edward 5
Edwin 5
Francis 5
Robert 5
Harry 3
Albert 2
Ernest 2
Frank 2
Geo. 2
Herbert 2
Richard 2
Samuel 2
Sanderson 2
Stiles 2
Alexander 1
Benjamin 1
Chas. 1
Chas.F. 1
Daniel 1
Elisha 1
Fred 1
Fredck. 1
Frederwick 1
Fredk. 1
Fredk.J. 1
G. 1
Harold 1
Hubert 1
Hugh 1
J.B.W. 1
Joshua 1
Moses 1
Percy 1
Peter 1
Reginald 1
Reuben 1
Wm.John 1

FAQ

Jefferys surname: questions and answers

How common was the Jefferys surname in 1881?

In 1881, 549 people were recorded with the Jefferys surname. That placed it at #6,284 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Jefferys surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 487 in 2016. That gives Jefferys a modern rank of #10,172.

What does the Jefferys surname mean?

An English surname derived from an Old French variant of "Geoffrey".

What does the Jefferys map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Jefferys 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.