Jeff
Jeff was given to 35 boys in 2025, #3,341 among boys’ names; 120,502 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 88,700 Americans named Jeff and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (74% of everyone recorded); the median is 63 years old and half are between 58 and 66.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Jeff by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Jeff mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Jeff is “a diminutive of the male given names Jeffrey, Jeffery, Jefferey, Jeffry, and Jefferson.”
From Jeffrey, a variant of Geoffrey, from Middle English Geffrey, from an Old French aristocratic name, Geoffroi [dʒɔfreʲ] (> West Middle French Geoffrey, East Middle French Geoffroy), itself from Proto-French forms (latinized in -us) Jotfredus, Jozsfredus, Josfredus (10th century) and Jof[f]redus, Jofridus, Jaufredus, Geffredus (11th century), and ultimately of Proto-Germanic origin. The second element is *friþuz (“peace, sanctuary”). The first element may be *gautaz (“a Geat, a Goth”) [making the Proto-Germanic term *Gautafriþu], as opposed to *gōdaz (“good”) or *gudą (“god”) in Godfrey; this would also make it related to Jocelyn. The name was introduced to England by the Normans in the 11th century.
/d͡ʒɛf/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Jeff?
#3,341 among boys’ names, 2025
Jeff fell from #2,004 in 2015 to #3,341 in 2025 among boys’ names; its share of boys born fell from 37.6 to 20.5 per million.
9,474 babies in 1961, the peak
Jeff peaked in 1961, when 9,474 babies were given it (9,463 boys, #49 among boys’ names). The 35 births of 2025 are under 1% of that peak.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 35 | #3,341 | 0.02 |
| 2024 | 43 | #2,931 | 0.02 |
| 2023 | 35 | #3,373 | 0.02 |
| 2022 | 46 | #2,808 | 0.03 |
| 2021 | 56 | #2,422 | 0.03 |
| 2020 | 43 | #2,815 | 0.02 |
| 2019 | 53 | #2,504 | 0.03 |
| 2018 | 67 | #2,108 | 0.04 |
| 2017 | 59 | #2,255 | 0.03 |
| 2016 | 58 | #2,291 | 0.03 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 72 | #2,004 | 0.04 |
| 2014 | 100 | #1,582 | 0.05 |
| 2013 | 80 | #1,801 | 0.04 |
| 2012 | 78 | #1,871 | 0.04 |
| 2011 | 90 | #1,671 | 0.05 |
| 2010 | 113 | #1,458 | 0.06 |
| 2009 | 128 | #1,350 | 0.06 |
| 2008 | 142 | #1,230 | 0.07 |
| 2007 | 161 | #1,122 | 0.08 |
| 2006 | 141 | #1,191 | 0.07 |
| 2005 | 130 | #1,218 | 0.07 |
| 2004 | 163 | #1,010 | 0.08 |
| 2003 | 156 | #1,013 | 0.08 |
| 2002 | 162 | #973 | 0.08 |
| 2001 | 171 | #912 | 0.09 |
| 2000 | 164 | #929 | 0.08 |
| 1999 | 165 | #904 | 0.09 |
| 1998 | 135 | #1,006 | 0.07 |
| 1997 | 134 | #974 | 0.07 |
| 1996 | 156 | #878 | 0.08 |
| 1995 | 154 | #878 | 0.08 |
| 1994 | 213 | #718 | 0.11 |
| 1993 | 209 | #714 | 0.11 |
| 1992 | 221 | #693 | 0.11 |
| 1991 | 254 | #641 | 0.13 |
| 1990 | 249 | #641 | 0.12 |
| 1989 | 283 | #580 | 0.14 |
| 1988 | 324 | #512 | 0.17 |
| 1987 | 306 | #514 | 0.16 |
| 1986 | 346 | #466 | 0.19 |
| 1985 | 373 | #441 | 0.20 |
| 1984 | 365 | #440 | 0.20 |
| 1983 | 390 | #413 | 0.22 |
| 1982 | 424 | #396 | 0.23 |
| 1981 | 434 | #388 | 0.24 |
| 1980 | 542 | #339 | 0.30 |
| 1979 | 552 | #329 | 0.32 |
| 1978 | 639 | #294 | 0.39 |
| 1977 | 699 | #277 | 0.43 |
| 1976 | 745 | #262 | 0.47 |
| 1975 | 882 | #234 | 0.56 |
| 1974 | 974 | #217 | 0.62 |
| 1973 | 1,182 | #192 | 0.76 |
| 1972 | 1,540 | #167 | 0.95 |
| 1971 | 2,155 | #140 | 1.2 |
| 1970 | 2,881 | #116 | 1.6 |
| 1969 | 2,973 | #106 | 1.7 |
| 1968 | 3,279 | #90 | 1.9 |
| 1967 | 3,591 | #88 | 2.1 |
| 1966 | 4,387 | #72 | 2.5 |
| 1965 | 5,406 | #62 | 2.9 |
| 1964 | 6,933 | #52 | 3.5 |
| 1963 | 8,105 | #48 | 4.0 |
| 1962 | 9,424 | #44 | 4.6 |
| 1961 | 9,463 | #49 | 4.5 |
| 1960 | 8,511 | #49 | 4.0 |
| 1959 | 7,730 | #52 | 3.6 |
| 1958 | 5,808 | #68 | 2.7 |
| 1957 | 4,092 | #96 | 1.9 |
| 1956 | 2,220 | #145 | 1.0 |
| 1955 | 1,482 | #182 | 0.72 |
| 1954 | 976 | #221 | 0.48 |
| 1953 | 847 | #231 | 0.43 |
| 1952 | 659 | #268 | 0.34 |
| 1951 | 567 | #286 | 0.30 |
| 1950 | 539 | #291 | 0.30 |
| 1949 | 696 | #245 | 0.39 |
| 1948 | 888 | #212 | 0.51 |
| 1947 | 1,007 | #199 | 0.55 |
| 1946 | 766 | #219 | 0.47 |
| 1945 | 538 | #249 | 0.40 |
| 1944 | 470 | #273 | 0.34 |
| 1943 | 480 | #280 | 0.34 |
| 1942 | 424 | #294 | 0.31 |
| 1941 | 361 | #302 | 0.29 |
| 1940 | 279 | #340 | 0.24 |
| 1939 | 164 | #448 | 0.15 |
| 1938 | 187 | #417 | 0.17 |
| 1937 | 153 | #454 | 0.14 |
| 1936 | 128 | #501 | 0.12 |
| 1935 | 137 | #484 | 0.13 |
| 1934 | 122 | #531 | 0.12 |
| 1933 | 143 | #468 | 0.14 |
| 1932 | 157 | #453 | 0.15 |
| 1931 | 154 | #456 | 0.15 |
| 1930 | 177 | #444 | 0.16 |
| 1929 | 174 | #451 | 0.16 |
| 1928 | 177 | #453 | 0.16 |
| 1927 | 192 | #441 | 0.17 |
| 1926 | 159 | #478 | 0.14 |
| 1925 | 189 | #438 | 0.17 |
| 1924 | 186 | #448 | 0.16 |
| 1923 | 207 | #419 | 0.19 |
| 1922 | 206 | #417 | 0.19 |
| 1921 | 164 | #481 | 0.15 |
| 1920 | 207 | #410 | 0.19 |
| 1919 | 184 | #434 | 0.19 |
| 1918 | 198 | #415 | 0.20 |
| 1917 | 180 | #422 | 0.19 |
| 1916 | 186 | #407 | 0.21 |
| 1915 | 183 | #398 | 0.22 |
| 1914 | 165 | #369 | 0.25 |
| 1913 | 143 | #345 | 0.28 |
| 1912 | 134 | #322 | 0.31 |
| 1911 | 76 | #309 | 0.34 |
| 1910 | 83 | #267 | 0.43 |
| 1909 | 68 | #271 | 0.41 |
| 1908 | 65 | #262 | 0.42 |
| 1907 | 73 | #243 | 0.50 |
| 1906 | 59 | #259 | 0.44 |
| 1905 | 62 | #248 | 0.47 |
| 1904 | 71 | #219 | 0.55 |
| 1903 | 46 | #273 | 0.39 |
| 1902 | 47 | #276 | 0.38 |
| 1901 | 45 | #258 | 0.42 |
| 1900 | 69 | #246 | 0.46 |
| 1899 | 48 | #242 | 0.45 |
| 1898 | 60 | #228 | 0.49 |
| 1897 | 59 | #218 | 0.52 |
| 1896 | 62 | #231 | 0.52 |
| 1895 | 65 | #215 | 0.55 |
| 1894 | 64 | #210 | 0.55 |
| 1893 | 87 | #167 | 0.77 |
| 1892 | 62 | #222 | 0.51 |
| 1891 | 77 | #167 | 0.76 |
| 1890 | 77 | #177 | 0.69 |
| 1889 | 70 | #189 | 0.63 |
| 1888 | 93 | #162 | 0.77 |
| 1887 | 70 | #180 | 0.69 |
| 1886 | 63 | #210 | 0.57 |
| 1885 | 63 | #200 | 0.58 |
| 1884 | 74 | #185 | 0.65 |
| 1883 | 44 | #243 | 0.42 |
| 1882 | 81 | #166 | 0.71 |
| 1881 | 61 | #190 | 0.61 |
| 1880 | 66 | #188 | 0.60 |
Ranks and shares: boys’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all boys SSA recorded that year.
Is Jeff a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Jeff has been given almost only to boys: 263 girls in 146 years of records.
Girls and boys named Jeff: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Jeff, and how old are they?
88,700 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 74% of the 120,502 Americans ever recorded as Jeff. The median Jeff alive today is 63 years old; half are between 58 and 66.
The 2020 Census counted 208,615 people named Jeff (247 women and girls, 208,368 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 95,684 born in the U.S. The Census count is 2.2 times that prediction. Possible reasons: the Census records the name people give, which for many is the short form Jeff rather than the name on their birth record, and it counts people born abroad, whom SSA’s files leave out.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 1,150 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 52,200 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 27,900 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 4,470 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 2,190 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 741 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Jeff born?
The states with the most babies named Jeff are California, Ohio and Illinois, with 25% of its births recorded by state since 1910.
| State | Since 1910 | Rank, boys | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 14,477 | not ranked | 1.3× |
| Ohio | 7,888 | not ranked | 1.2× |
| Illinois | 6,505 | not ranked | 1.0× |
| Texas | 6,402 | not ranked | 0.9× |
| Michigan | 5,921 | not ranked | 1.1× |
| New York | 4,711 | not ranked | 0.5× |
| Indiana | 4,544 | not ranked | 1.4× |
| Pennsylvania | 3,735 | not ranked | 0.5× |
| Washington | 3,670 | not ranked | 1.9× |
| Wisconsin | 3,642 | not ranked | 1.3× |
Where Jeff is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Jeff is most over-represented in Utah: since 1910 it was given 2.0 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among boys’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Jeff with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names spelled alike
Of these 2 names spelled alike, given to 120,631 babies since 1880, Jeff is the most given (100% of them). In 2025 it was given to 35 of their 35 babies (100%), again the most given.
Spelled alike: names in the SSA national file with the same pattern of letters and sounds and at most two letters apart, and Wiktionary’s listed forms; births since 1880 and in 2025, and each name’s peak year, from the SSA national file, published May 8, 2026. Some are separate names, not spellings of one.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Jeff
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Jeff and names like it
- Compare Jeff and JefBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 1960sJeff peaked in 1961.
- California’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Jeff since 1910.
- The top names of 1961The year the most babies were named Jeff.
- The names of the Baby BoomersMost people named Jeff alive today were born 1946-1964.
- Names starting with JMost given first.