Jeffrey
Pronounced JH EH1 F R IY0 (ARPABET)
- 2 syllables
- Peaked 1962
- 140 years in use
- 4 spellings
How popular is Jeffrey?
Jeffrey is a boys' name, and first appears in 1885. It has been given to 1,053,894 children — the 31st most common boys' name on record.
It is falling away, down 51% on the previous decade. Its best single year was 1962, when 34,835 children were given it.
Four other spellings are counted in that total — Geoffrey, Jeffry, Jeffrie and one more — because they are pronounced identically.
Spelling variants
These spellings sound identical to Jeffrey and are counted together with it, which is why the totals here are higher than a single-spelling count.
- Geoffrey
- Jeffry
- Jeffrie
- Jeffree
Nicknames
Common short forms: Jeff.
Characteristics
- 2 syllables
Phonetic detail
- Pronunciations:
- JH EH1 F R IY0 · JH EH1 F R IY1
- Stress pattern:
- 10 · 11
- Syllables:
- 2
Stress digits mark unstressed (0), primary (1) and secondary (2) syllables.
Names like Jeffrey
Same first letter and syllable count, peaking around the same time.
Sibling names for Jeffrey
Names from the same era with a matching rhythm but a different initial.
Frequently asked questions
- How popular is the name Jeffrey?
- Jeffrey ranks 31st among boys' names in US records, with 1,053,894 births since 1885. Over the past decade it accounts for 9,627.
- Is Jeffrey a unisex name?
- No. Jeffrey is recorded almost entirely as a boys' name; births to the other gender are too few to register as a share.
- When was Jeffrey most popular?
- 1962, when 34,835 children were given the name. It has been in use for 140 years and is still recorded as of 2024.
- What are common nicknames for Jeffrey?
- Jeff. These are recorded as separate names in their own right, so each has its own page and its own popularity curve.
- How else is Jeffrey spelled?
- Geoffrey, Jeffry, Jeffrie, Jeffree. All of these sound the same and are counted together in the totals on this page.