Given name & surname
Jefferson
“son of JEFFREY”·“the son of Jeffrey”
Jefferson is used as a given name and a surname. Interpretations include “son of JEFFREY” and “the son of Jeffrey” (English). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Interpretations include “son of JEFFREY” and “the son of Jeffrey” (English). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is English.
How it developed
It entered given-name use through an existing surname.
The story
Its naming history includes the use of a family name as a given name.
Jefferson through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 24,440
- 24,440 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 2009
- 444 babies
- 2025
- 298
- #831 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −7%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 298 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 831 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 7.2% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 444 in 2009. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (36). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 19,267 as a first name in 2020; 53,646 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Jefferson’s family of names
In English usage, Jefferson has a diminutive in Jeff. In English usage, Jefferson as a surname has a “son of” formation linked to Jeffrey. Jefferson has a related form in Jeferson.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Jefferson has relatives in 4 languages. Lines run from its English roots to each of them.
Englishwhere Jefferson comes from · 1 name
Nicknames & forms 8
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 4
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 2
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Jefferson
- Jefferson DavisPresident of the Confederate States from 1861 to 1865 (1808–1889)
- Jeff SessionsAmerican politician and lawyer (born 1946)
- Jefferson FarfánPeruvian association football playerborn 1984
- JeffersonBrazilian association football playerborn 1983
- Jefferson LermaColombian association football playerborn 1994
- Jefferson MonteroEcuadorian association football playerborn 1989
- Jefferson PérezEcuadorian race walking athleteborn 1974
- JeffersonBrazilian association football playerborn 1978
- JeffersonBrazilian association football playerborn 1981
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Jefferson, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Tanner
“one who tans hides” · “one who makes leather”
95% boys · 5% girls
Lincoln
“lake” · “from the village near the lake”
98% boys · 2% girls
Carter
“a transporter of merchandise” · “one who transports goods; one who drives a cart”
93% boys · 7% girls
Hunter
“a great huntress and provider” · “a great huntsman and provider”
93% boys · 7% girls
Walker
“walker of the forests” · “one who trods the cloth”
97% boys · 3% girls
Goddard
“one who is divinely firm”
77% boys · 23% girls
Nelson
“the son of Neil; the son of a champion”
99% boys · 1% girls
Chauncey
“an office holder; keeper of records” · “having good fortune”
>99% boys