Jeffrey is a name of English origin that has been used since the Middle Ages. It is derived from the name Geoffrey, which is ultimately derived from the Germanic name Gaufredus, composed of the elements "gaú" meaning "to seize by force" and "fréthu" meaning "peace." Therefore, Jeffrey means "pledge of peace."
The name Jeffrey became popular in England during the Norman Conquest in 1066 when many Normans brought their names to the country. Over time, Jeffrey has become a distinct name from Geoffrey, and it has been consistently used throughout history.
Some famous individuals named Jeffrey include American actor Jeffrey Tambor, Canadian musician Jeff Healey, and British explorer Sir Jeffrey Amherst. However, despite its historical significance and popularity among notable figures, there is no specific event or trait associated with the name Jeffrey that stands out above others. Instead, it is simply a classic English name with a meaningful origin story.
Based on the statistics provided for the name Jeffrey over the years in the United States, we can observe several trends:
From 1950 to 1959, there was a steady increase in the number of babies named Jeffrey each year, with the highest number being 15 births in 1959.
However, this trend did not continue into the 1960s. The numbers fluctuated quite a bit during these years, ranging from a low of 7 births in 1956 to a high of 20 births in both 1967 and 1968.
The 1970s saw some peaks and valleys as well, with the highest number being 20 births in 1969 and the lowest being just 7 births in 1978. Interestingly, the decade ended with three consecutive years of 15 births each year from 1974 to 1976.
The popularity of the name Jeffrey seemed to decline throughout the 1980s and 1990s, with numbers ranging from a high of 16 births in both 1985 and 1986 to a low of just 5 births in both 2010 and 2011. The most recent data available is from 2017, which shows that there were also 6 births named Jeffrey that year.
Overall, it appears that the name Jeffrey has had its ups and downs in popularity over the years in the United States. While it was quite popular during the late 1950s and early 1960s, it has since become less common, with fewer than 20 births each year since the mid-1970s. However, even with these fluctuations, Jeffrey remains a name that has been given to at least some babies in every year for which data is available, from 1950 to 2017.