2000
#18,129
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,417
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.53
Rare Last name
Jeffs
A surname derived from the given name Jeffrey, a Germanic name meaning "peace" or "pledge of peace".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,074 Americans carry the last name Jeffs. That puts it at #15,558 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.61 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 165,262 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Jeffs surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Jeffs with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.1K
1 in 165,262
Census rank
#15,558
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,809 bearers of the surname Jeffs in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.61 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15558th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Jeffs, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Jeffs
The surname Jeffs is of English origin, derived from the given name Jeffrey, which comes from an old Germanic name Gaufrid or Gaufrey. This name is a compound of the elements "gau" (territory or district) and "frid" (peace), meaning "peaceful territory" or "district of peace".
The name Jeffrey was introduced to England after the Norman Conquest of 1066 by Norman-French settlers who had adopted the name. The earliest recorded spelling of the name Jeffs dates back to the 13th century in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire, where a Richard Jeffes is mentioned in 1273.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, a record of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror, there are several individuals listed with the name Jeffrey or variations like Geffrei and Gefrei, but no specific mention of the surname Jeffs.
The Jeffs surname is found in various parts of England, particularly in Oxfordshire, Wiltshire, and Somerset. Some early bearers of the name include John Jeffs, who was recorded in the Subsidy Rolls of Wiltshire in 1332, and William Jeffs, mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Somerset in 1327.
One notable historical figure with the surname Jeffs was Sir George Jeffreys (1645-1689), an English judge who became notorious as the "Hanging Judge" for his brutal treatment of the rebels after the Monmouth Rebellion of 1685. Another was William Jeffs (1837-1908), an English architect responsible for designing several churches and public buildings in London and the surrounding areas.
Other individuals with the surname Jeffs include:
1. Samuel Jeffs (1858-1935), an English cricketer who played for Gloucestershire County Cricket Club.
2. Alfred Jeffs (1819-1900), a British architect and surveyor who worked on various projects in London and the surrounding counties.
3. John Jeffs (1701-1789), an English mathematician and astronomer who published several works on navigation and astronomy.
4. Mary Jeffs (1706-1768), an English artist known for her portraits and miniature paintings.
5. Thomas Jeffs (1826-1901), a British architect and surveyor who worked on several ecclesiastical and public buildings in the Midlands region of England.
The surname Jeffs has a rich history rooted in the English countryside, with its origins dating back to the time of the Norman Conquest. While not as widespread as some other English surnames, it has been borne by notable figures in various fields throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jeffs
Among Census respondents with the surname Jeffs, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Jeffs bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Jeffs surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.8% · 1,697
- Two or more races2.9% · 52
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 43
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 10
- Black or African American0.4% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Jeffs
Jeffs appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#17,323
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,632
+215 bearers (+15.2%)
Per 100,000 0.55
Rank movement Up 806 places
2020
#15,558
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,809
+177 bearers (+10.8%)
Per 100,000 0.61
Rank movement Up 1,765 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #18,129 | 1,417 | 0.53 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #17,323 | 1,632 | 0.55 | +215 bearers (+15.2%) | Up 806 places |
| 2020 | #15,558 | 1,809 | 0.61 | +177 bearers (+10.8%) | Up 1,765 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Jeffs surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #17,323 | #15,558 | 10.2% |
| Count | 1,632 | 1,809 | 10.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.55 | 0.61 | 10.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Jeffs bearers went from 1,632 to 1,809 (+10.8% change). The surname moved up 1,765 positions in the national ranking, going from #17,323 to #15,558.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Jeffs
FAQ
Jeffs surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Jeffs?
Name Census estimates that about 2,074 living Americans carry the surname Jeffs. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 165,262 residents.
How common is Jeffs?
Jeffs ranks #15,558 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.61 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,809 people with the surname Jeffs. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,074), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.61 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.61 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Jeffs.
Has Jeffs become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Jeffs went from 1,632 recorded bearers to 1,809. That is an increase of 177 (+10.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #17,323 to #15,558.
What does the Census say about the background of Jeffs?
Among Census respondents with the surname Jeffs, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.4%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Jeffs in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.8% (1,697 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Jeffs appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.8%), Two or More Races (2.9%), Hispanic (2.4%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Jeffs (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Jeffs mean?
A surname derived from the given name Jeffrey, a Germanic name meaning "peace" or "pledge of peace". The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Jeffs (0.61 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Jeffs?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.