| Pronunciation | /ˈdʒɛfri/ JEF-ree |
|---|---|
| Gender | Male |
| Origin | |
| Word/name | Francia, medieval France, Norman England |
| Other names | |
| Nickname(s) | Jeff |
| Derived | Godfrey, Gottfried |
| Related names | Geoffrey, Jeff, Jeffry, Jeffy, Jefrey, Jeffery, Jofre, Jeffeory, Joffrey, Jefferson |
Jeffrey is a common English given name, and a variant form of the name Geoffrey (itself from a Middle French variant of Godfrey, Gottfried).[1]
It has been argued that the common derivation of Middle French Geoffrey (or Geoffroy), Jeffery from Godfrey is mistaken, and that the names reflect two separate first Germanic elements god vs. gaut, which became conflated in Old High German by the end of the early medieval period.[2]
Outside of North America, Geoffrey is more common than Jeffrey. Jeffrey and its variants are found as surnames, usually as a patronymic ending in -s (e.g., Jefferies, Jaffrays); The surname Jefferson is also a patronymic version of the given name. In Scotland, Jeffrey is most frequently found to be a surname.
Variations include Jeff, Jeffry, Jeffy, Jeffery, Jefferey, Jeffory, Jefrie, Geoff, Geoffrey, Jeffeory, Geffrey, Jefferson, and Jeffro.