Jeffery is a name of English origin, derived from the name Geoffrey. The name Geoffrey is composed of two elements: "geof" meaning "peace" and "ric" meaning "power". Therefore, Jeffery can be translated to mean "peaceful power".
The name Jeffery has been popular in the United States for many years. According to data from the Social Security Administration, it was among the top 1000 names for boys from the late 19th century until the mid-20th century. Although its popularity has since declined, it remains a recognizable and traditional name.
Some notable people named Jeffery include American actor Jeff Goldblum and British musician Jeff Lynne, lead singer of the Electric Light Orchestra. However, the name Jeffery is not exclusive to males; in some cultures, it can also be used as a female name.
In literature, Jeffery appears as a character in several works, including "Jeffrey" by pretzel author Richard Russo and "The Jeffrey Pincher Chronicles" by American writer Jonathan Lethem. These appearances demonstrate the name's versatility and timelessness across different forms of media.
The name Jeffrey has been quite popular in the United States throughout the 20th century and into the early 21st century. According to the statistics provided, there were a total of 1269 births with the name Jeffrey recorded between the years 1927 and 1995.
The peak popularity of the name occurred in the late 1950s to mid-1960s, with over 40 births each year from 1956 to 1963. The highest number of births was recorded in 1957, with a total of 36 newborn boys named Jeffrey.
However, the popularity of the name began to decline after the mid-1960s, with fewer than 40 births per year from 1965 onwards. By the early 1980s, the number of newborn boys named Jeffrey dropped below 20 per year. There was a brief resurgence in popularity in the late 1980s to early 1990s, but by 1995, only five babies were named Jeffrey at birth.
Despite this decline in popularity, Jeffrey remains a classic and timeless name that has been given to thousands of boys over the years. It is clear from these statistics that Jeffrey was once a very popular choice for parents looking for a strong and distinctive name for their baby boy.