Explore the Family Name Jeffrey
The meaning of Jeffrey
English and Scottish: from the common Middle English and Older Scots personal name Geffrey, a borrowing of Old French Geuffrei, Jeufrei, Jefrei, Gosfrei, Jofrei. The principal source of the Old French forms was probably ancient Germanic Gautfrid, from an ethnic name + frithu ‘peace’. It was commonly Latinized in early documents as Gaufridus or Galfridus, but also as Goisfridus or Gosfridus. Anglo-Norman French Jofreith, Jofrei lies behind the English surnames Joffrey and Joffray, which are recorded in the late nineteenth century, but may now be extinct.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Jeffrey in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Jeffrey has seen a slight decrease in ranking from 2000 to 2010, moving from 3043rd place to 3257th. Despite this drop in rank, the number of individuals with the surname Jeffrey grew by 1.46%, increasing from 10,925 in 2000 to 11,085 in 2010. However, the proportion of the surname per 100,000 people decreased by 7.16% over the same period.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #3,043 | #3,257 | -7.03% |
| Count | 10,925 | 11,085 | 1.46% |
| Proportion per 100k | 4.05 | 3.76 | -7.16% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Jeffrey
The data from the Decennial U.S. Census reveals some changes in the ethnic identity associated with the surname Jeffrey between 2000 and 2010. The most significant increases were seen among those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander and Hispanic, growing by 49.21% and 49.08% respectively. There was also a modest increase of 4.87% among those identifying as Black. Those identifying with two or more races saw an increase of 17.58%, while the number of people identifying as White dropped by 3.02%. Lastly, the number of people identifying as American Indian and Alaskan Native fell by 15.56%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 79.11% | 76.72% | -3.02% |
| Black | 15.81% | 16.58% | 4.87% |
| Hispanic | 2.18% | 3.25% | 49.08% |
| Two or More Races | 1.82% | 2.14% | 17.58% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.63% | 0.94% | 49.21% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.45% | 0.38% | -15.56% |
Jeffrey ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Jeffrey is British & Irish, which comprises 52.0% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (20.0%) and Scandinavian (4.1%). Additional ancestries include Italian, Eastern European, Spanish & Portuguese, Ashkenazi Jewish, and Nigerian.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 52.0% |
| French & German | 20.0% |
| Scandinavian | 4.1% |
| Other | 24.0% |
Possible origins of the surname Jeffrey
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Jeffrey have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 80.00% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 79.60% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 79.60% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 79.60% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 78.90% |
What Jeffrey haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Jeffrey is R-CTS241, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-CTS241 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-P311 and R-M405, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Luke, Oliver, Davies, Lloyd, Griffith, Barnes, Jack, Jones, Simons, Phillips.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Jeffrey surname are: H1, J1c, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette
Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.
What do people with the surname Jeffrey have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Jeffrey" Surname 40.0%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Jeffrey" Surname 20.5%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Jeffrey" Surname 20.8%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Jeffrey" Surname 20.1%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Jeffrey?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Jeffrey are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition