Jeff
Short form of Jeffrey, the medieval English form of Geoffrey, a Germanic name possibly meaning “peaceful territory.”
Popularity, 1880–2025
Jeff appears in the national records from the very first year, 1880. It has ranked among the top 100 names for American boys in every year from 1957 to 1968. Its biggest year was 1961, when 9,463 newborn boys received the name, ranking it No. 49 nationally. Its best ranking came in 1962, at No. 44. All told, 120,502 Americans have been given the name since 1880.
Related names
Other names that share a story: Jeffrey
Explore Jeff interactively →By the decade
| Decade | Births | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 685 | No. 162 |
| 1890s | 661 | No. 166 |
| 1900s | 605 | No. 219 |
| 1910s | 1,532 | No. 267 |
| 1920s | 1,861 | No. 408 |
| 1930s | 1,522 | No. 416 |
| 1940s | 5,909 | No. 199 |
| 1950s | 24,920 | No. 52 |
| 1960s | 62,072 | No. 44 |
| 1970s | 12,249 | No. 116 |
| 1980s | 3,787 | No. 339 |
| 1990s | 1,890 | No. 642 |
| 2000s | 1,518 | No. 912 |
| 2010s | 770 | No. 1456 |
| 2020s | 258 | No. 2410 |
Births and rank shown for boys, the sex more often given the name. The Social Security Administration omits name–year combinations with fewer than five births.
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Data: U.S. Social Security Administration national baby-name file, 1880–2025.