US rank #710 Boys' name Peak 2009 24,141 births

Jefferson — #710 US boys' name

24,141 babies named Jefferson in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 2009. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

1880s3551890s2911900s2441910s10391920s14291930s9081940s11421950s17381960s20171970s21651980s16381990s23592000s32682010s37892020s1759
#710
of 14,243 boys in use

More common than 95% of names given to boys today.

2010s
Peak decade

16% of everyone ever named Jefferson was born in this single decade.

2009
Single peak year

444 babies were named Jefferson in 2009 — its busiest year on record.

What the Data Says About Jefferson

The Social Security Administration has registered 24,141 babies named Jefferson between 1880 and 2024, spanning 145 consecutive years of U.S. birth records. As a boy's name, Jefferson currently holds the #710 rank among boys for 2024. The name reached its historical peak in 2009, when 444 babies received it in a single year.

Decade-level aggregation shows that Jefferson performed strongest in the 2010s, accumulating 3,789 births during that ten-year window. Across the 15 decades of recorded activity, Jefferson shows notable generational variation in parental adoption. Geographically, the name is most concentrated in California, which accounts for 2,109 births — the largest state-level total in the dataset — followed by Texas and New York. In total, SSA state-level files list Jefferson in 42 of the 51 U.S. reporting jurisdictions.

No etymological entry is currently available for Jefferson in our reference dataset. These figures derive from SSA's annual national and state-level name files, which include any name appearing at least five times in a given year or state-year; names below that threshold are suppressed for privacy and therefore excluded from the totals shown here. The 24,141 total represents a lower bound — actual usage may be higher in years or states where the count fell below the disclosure floor. This page is provided for informational and research purposes only and does not constitute personal, legal, or naming advice.

Jefferson at a glance

Top 1,000 boys' name

Total births

24,141

Since 1880

145 years of records

Peak year

2009

444 births that year

Strongest decade: 2010s

Current rank

#710

Among boys

As of 2024

Active since

1880

Recorded for 145 years

Last year on file: 2024

Jefferson popularity over time

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 2024–1880

Top 1,000 boys' name
Peak year (2009)
444
Annual births at peak — across 145 years of records
-1000100200300400500 202420051986196719481929191018911880 43

Jefferson by decade

Total births in each ten-year window — peak vs trough at a glance

Peak: 2010s
Peak decade
2010s
3,789 births that decade — 16% of Jefferson's all-time total
1880s3551890s2911900s2441910s10391920s14291930s9081940s11421950s17381960s20171970s21651980s16381990s23592000s32682010s37892020s1759

Jefferson by state

Where Jefferson concentrates geographically — total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Jefferson
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 California
2,109 8.7%
#2 Texas
1,940 8.0%
#3 New York
1,563 6.5%
#4 Florida
1,323 5.5%
#5 Georgia
1,315 5.4%
#6 Virginia
1,002 4.2%
#7 North Carolina
956 4.0%
#8 South Carolina
645 2.7%
California share of Jefferson's total US births 8.7%
Even split

2,109 of 24,141 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 42 reporting states.

Jefferson appears in 42 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Jefferson?
24,141 babies have been named Jefferson since 1880. It currently ranks #710 among boys. The peak year was 2009 with 444 births.
When was Jefferson most popular?
Jefferson was most popular in the 2010s decade with 3,789 total births. The single peak year was 2009.
Where is Jefferson most popular?
The top states for the name Jefferson are California (2,109 births), Texas (1,940 births), New York (1,563 births).
How long has the name Jefferson been used?
Jefferson has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 145 years of data through 2024.
What names are similar to Jefferson?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Jeffrey, Jeffery, Jeff, Jeffry, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

Keep exploring Jefferson

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Data Sources

Data as of 2024. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).

Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications — National Data, 1880–2024 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames). National-level data includes all names with 5 or more occurrences in a given year.

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names — State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip). Includes all names with 5 or more occurrences per state per year; rarer names are excluded for privacy.