Total births
120,239
Boys' name · since 1880
Jeff
Jeff has 120,239 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1961 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #2915
- among boys today
- 120,239
- born since 1880
- 1960s
- peak decade
- 80%
- more common than other boys
Yes -- Jeff is the #2915 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 120,239 recorded since 1880.
Jeff has 120,239 recorded births among boys since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #2915 as of the latest data, more common than 80% of boys, busiest in the 1960s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #2915 among boys today
- 120,239 born since 1880
- 1960s peak decade
- 80% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Jeff is currently the #2915 boys' name in America, more common than 80% of boys - 120,239 born since 1880, peaking in the 1960s.
- #2915
- among boys today
- 120,239
- born since 1880
- 1960s
- peak decade
- 80%
- more common than other boys
Jeff vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#2915
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 80% of names given to boys today.
1960s
Peak decade
52% of everyone ever named Jeff was born in this single decade.
1961
Single peak year
9,463 babies were named Jeff in 1961 - its busiest year on record.
How Jeff compares
120,239 Top 2% higher than 98% of 14,294 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Jeff's all-time total is 328x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Jeff | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 120,239 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 9,463 | 23 | 22,252 |
Jeff's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Jeff splits its recorded history at 1953: 88% of all births land in the more recent half, 12% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 2023 (35 births) -- compare that against the 1961 peak of 9,463 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Jeff at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1961
Current rank
#2,915
Active since
1880
Jeff popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1961)
- 9,463
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Jeff popularity over time - girls
263 total births recorded since 1925 (Jeff as girls' name)
Jeff by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1960s was Jeff's strongest decade.
62,072 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 52% of all-time use.
Jeff births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 685
1880s
685 births
- 1890s 661
1890s
661 births
- 1900s 605
1900s
605 births
- 1910s 1,532
1910s
1,532 births
- 1920s 1,861
1920s
1,861 births
- 1930s 1,522
1930s
1,522 births
- 1940s 5,909
1940s
5,909 births
- 1950s
1950s
24,920 births
- 1960s
1960s
62,072 births
- 1970s 12,249
1970s
12,249 births
- 1980s 3,787
1980s
3,787 births
- 1990s 1,890
1990s
1,890 births
- 2000s 1,518
2000s
1,518 births
- 2010s 770
2010s
770 births
- 2020s 258
2020s
258 births
What this shows Peak: 1960s at 62,072 births (52% of all-time use).
How Jeff compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Jeff's total volume
Jeff vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Jeff by state
Where Jeff concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 14,477 | 12.0% |
| #2 | Ohio | | 7,888 | 6.6% |
| #3 | Illinois | | 6,505 | 5.4% |
| #4 | Texas | | 6,402 | 5.3% |
| #5 | Michigan | | 5,921 | 4.9% |
| #6 | New York | | 4,711 | 3.9% |
| #7 | Indiana | | 4,544 | 3.8% |
| #8 | Pennsylvania | | 3,735 | 3.1% |
California share of Jeff's total US births 12.0%
Even split
14,477 of 120,239 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Jeff appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Jeff? ▼
Jeff has been given to 120,239 babies in the U.S. since 1880, according to SSA data. Among boys, it ranks #2915 as of the latest data. 9,463 babies were born in 1961, its single highest year.
When was Jeff most popular? ▼
Jeff was most popular in the 1960s decade with 62,072 total births. The single peak year was 1961.
Where is Jeff most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Jeff are California (14,477 births), Ohio (7,888 births), Illinois (6,505 births).
How long has the name Jeff been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Jeff since 1880 -- 146 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Jeff? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Jeffrey, Jeffery, Jefferson, Jeffry, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Jeff's data
- Jeff's decade-level peak was the 1960s (62,072 total births); usage has since declined to 258 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Jeffs (14,477 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Jeff
Nearby Names Like Jeff
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Jeff
Jeffrey Boy
#521 979,601 births
Jeffery Boy
#1295 230,549 births
Jefferson Boy
#710 24,440 births
Jeffry Boy
#6521 15,400 births
Jefferey Boy
3,973 births
Compare Jeff side by side: Jeff vs Jeffrey Jeff vs Jeffery Jeff vs Jefferson
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Jeff
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Jeff: #2915 Boys' Name - 120,239 Births, Peak 1961." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/jeff. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Jeff draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.