Jeff
Feminine · “peace”
Jeff is given to boys far more often — 120,239 boys against 263 girls since 1880. See Jeff as a boy name
Jeff entered the US charts in 1925, peaked at #2729 in 1960, is rarely given in 2025 — given to only a few children a year.
How old is the name Jeff?
Jeff first appears in US birth records in 1925 — 100 years ago. The typical Jeff alive today was born around 1965, making them about 60 years old. About 200 people named Jeff are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Jeff most popular?
Jeff peaked in 1960, reaching #2729 nationally. See the whole 1960 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From Gaufrid to Jeff
The story of Jeff
Geoffrey came to England with the Normans and became one of the commonest names in the country within a generation — the England of the twelfth century is full of them, including the chronicler who invented most of what people believe about King Arthur. English later split the spelling into Geoffrey and Jeffrey, the second being the phonetic version, and America overwhelmingly took the second. Jeff as a name in its own right rose with it, peaking in the early 1960s.
Meaningscholars disagree
peace
Through Geoffrey, from a Germanic compound ending in frid, 'peace'. The first element is disputed between gawia, 'territory', walah, 'stranger' or 'foreigner', and gisil, 'pledge' — giving 'peace of the land', 'peace of the stranger' or 'peace by pledge'. Medieval scribes wrote all three variants, and it is likely that separate names merged.
How the name formed
- Gaufrid
- Geoffrey
- Jeffrey
- Jeff
Related forms: Geoffroy · Goffredo · Gottfried · Godofredo
Pronouncing Jeff
JEFF
One syllable. The Geoff spelling is said identically and is the British-leaning form of the same sound.
Nicknames for Jeff
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1925
- Most girls named
- 196020 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #2729reached in 1960
- Change vs 1986
- −16.7%5 in 1988, from 6
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Jeff in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Geoffroy in French — related form
- Goffredo in Italian — related form
- Gottfried in German — related form
- Godofredo in Spanish — related form
Jeffs among us
people named Jeff are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Jeff sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
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What they receive
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Jeff
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Jeffs are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 200 people named Jeff are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Jeff in 2025?
- Jeff is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Jeff with classmates?
- Jeff will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More J names
The most-given names starting with J, all years combined.
Jennifer#586 · Jessica#665 · Janet#2778 · Julie#872 · Joyce#1071 · Joan#1085 · Julia#131 · Jean#2117
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Jeff? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Jeff and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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