Jefferies
A surname linked to the given name Jeffrey, originally meaning “son of Jeffrey” or “descendant of Jeffrey.”
The #6,809 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 62,335 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Jefferies is a surname formed from the medieval personal name Jeffrey, with the ending -s often marking “son of” or family descent. Jeffrey itself comes through Norman French from a Germanic name related to elements meaning “peace,” “district,” or “traveler,” depending on the older form being traced. In practice, Jefferies is best understood as a patronymic surname built from Jeffrey rather than as a separate root name.
History
Historical surname writers treat Jefferies as one of several spellings in the Jeffrey family, alongside Jeffery, Jeffreys, Jeffs, and others. The distribution of these forms varied regionally in Britain, with Jefferies noted especially in parts of England outside the southwest where Jeffery was strongest. The name later spread more widely through British and American usage.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
19th-century surname surveys noted that Jefferies and Jeffreys were often more common outside the southwest of England, while Jeffery clustered more strongly in the southwest.
From the historical record
“JEFFCOCK. See Jeffery. JEFFERIES, See Jeffery, JER 172 JOA”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom