Jeffreys
A surname from Geoffrey, ultimately a medieval personal name meaning “peace of God” or “God’s peace.”
The #9,788 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 93,333 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Jeffreys is a surname derived from the medieval personal name Geoffrey, with Jeffery, Jeffries, Jeffs, and similar forms all belonging to the same name family. Geoffrey came into English through Norman French and ultimately goes back to older Germanic name elements commonly interpreted as meaning “peace” and “God” or “God’s peace,” though medieval forms varied a great deal. The surname therefore began as a patronymic, meaning “son or family of Geoffrey/Jeffery.”
History
The historical excerpts place Jeffreys among a broad cluster of Geoffrey-based surnames and note that it is especially associated with southern England, with Wiltshire singled out as a principal area. In northern England, related forms such as Jefferson were more common. The name is well known through George Jeffreys, the 17th-century judge and chief justice.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The 19th-century sources explicitly group Jeffreys with Jeffery, Jeffries, Jeffs, and Jefferson as regional offshoots of the same old personal name family.
From the historical record
“Jeflery. Jeffreys. Machamfry. 26 Jenkins. Jenkenson.”
— Varieties and Synonymes of Surnames and Christian Names in Ireland