Jefferson
Jefferson was given to 298 boys in 2025, #831 among boys’ names; 24,440 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 18,200 Americans named Jefferson and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (74% of everyone recorded); the median is 27 years old and half are between 13 and 51.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Jefferson by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Jefferson mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Jefferson is “a male given name transferred from the surname.”
From Jeffrey + -son. The placenames in the United States are named for Thomas Jefferson.
/ˈd͡ʒɛfɚsən/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Jefferson?
#831 among boys’ names, 2025
Jefferson fell from #672 in 2015 to #831 in 2025 among boys’ names; its share of boys born fell from 0.20 to 0.17 per 1,000.
444 babies in 2009, the peak
Jefferson peaked in 2009, when 444 boys were given it, #589 among boys’ names. The 298 births of 2025 are 67% of that peak.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 298 | #831 | 0.17 |
| 2024 | 375 | #710 | 0.22 |
| 2023 | 339 | #762 | 0.20 |
| 2022 | 332 | #761 | 0.19 |
| 2021 | 357 | #724 | 0.20 |
| 2020 | 357 | #706 | 0.21 |
| 2019 | 326 | #740 | 0.18 |
| 2018 | 364 | #681 | 0.20 |
| 2017 | 353 | #698 | 0.19 |
| 2016 | 432 | #620 | 0.23 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 378 | #672 | 0.20 |
| 2014 | 439 | #609 | 0.23 |
| 2013 | 414 | #610 | 0.22 |
| 2012 | 394 | #617 | 0.21 |
| 2011 | 326 | #703 | 0.17 |
| 2010 | 363 | #662 | 0.19 |
| 2009 | 444 | #589 | 0.22 |
| 2008 | 419 | #600 | 0.21 |
| 2007 | 417 | #602 | 0.20 |
| 2006 | 359 | #646 | 0.17 |
| 2005 | 348 | #630 | 0.17 |
| 2004 | 310 | #660 | 0.16 |
| 2003 | 249 | #731 | 0.13 |
| 2002 | 254 | #706 | 0.13 |
| 2001 | 225 | #762 | 0.12 |
| 2000 | 243 | #716 | 0.12 |
| 1999 | 287 | #627 | 0.15 |
| 1998 | 227 | #724 | 0.12 |
| 1997 | 236 | #683 | 0.13 |
| 1996 | 236 | #690 | 0.12 |
| 1995 | 242 | #679 | 0.13 |
| 1994 | 225 | #694 | 0.12 |
| 1993 | 266 | #632 | 0.14 |
| 1992 | 209 | #711 | 0.10 |
| 1991 | 224 | #675 | 0.11 |
| 1990 | 207 | #704 | 0.10 |
| 1989 | 186 | #723 | 0.09 |
| 1988 | 170 | #721 | 0.09 |
| 1987 | 145 | #761 | 0.08 |
| 1986 | 153 | #732 | 0.08 |
| 1985 | 170 | #682 | 0.09 |
| 1984 | 159 | #691 | 0.09 |
| 1983 | 139 | #733 | 0.08 |
| 1982 | 158 | #691 | 0.09 |
| 1981 | 182 | #632 | 0.10 |
| 1980 | 176 | #657 | 0.10 |
| 1979 | 175 | #645 | 0.10 |
| 1978 | 164 | #655 | 0.10 |
| 1977 | 161 | #666 | 0.10 |
| 1976 | 194 | #587 | 0.12 |
| 1975 | 177 | #614 | 0.11 |
| 1974 | 234 | #516 | 0.15 |
| 1973 | 285 | #463 | 0.18 |
| 1972 | 233 | #515 | 0.14 |
| 1971 | 266 | #498 | 0.15 |
| 1970 | 276 | #488 | 0.15 |
| 1969 | 246 | #493 | 0.14 |
| 1968 | 214 | #518 | 0.12 |
| 1967 | 208 | #519 | 0.12 |
| 1966 | 186 | #559 | 0.10 |
| 1965 | 171 | #585 | 0.09 |
| 1964 | 205 | #552 | 0.10 |
| 1963 | 177 | #590 | 0.09 |
| 1962 | 214 | #543 | 0.10 |
| 1961 | 223 | #531 | 0.10 |
| 1960 | 173 | #596 | 0.08 |
| 1959 | 234 | #514 | 0.11 |
| 1958 | 192 | #556 | 0.09 |
| 1957 | 160 | #605 | 0.07 |
| 1956 | 160 | #601 | 0.08 |
| 1955 | 196 | #521 | 0.10 |
| 1954 | 178 | #547 | 0.09 |
| 1953 | 155 | #577 | 0.08 |
| 1952 | 154 | #564 | 0.08 |
| 1951 | 162 | #531 | 0.09 |
| 1950 | 147 | #558 | 0.08 |
| 1949 | 133 | #587 | 0.07 |
| 1948 | 123 | #613 | 0.07 |
| 1947 | 137 | #581 | 0.07 |
| 1946 | 120 | #587 | 0.07 |
| 1945 | 105 | #595 | 0.08 |
| 1944 | 119 | #556 | 0.09 |
| 1943 | 98 | #644 | 0.07 |
| 1942 | 101 | #634 | 0.07 |
| 1941 | 104 | #581 | 0.08 |
| 1940 | 102 | #586 | 0.09 |
| 1939 | 88 | #624 | 0.08 |
| 1938 | 61 | #789 | 0.05 |
| 1937 | 73 | #703 | 0.07 |
| 1936 | 67 | #739 | 0.06 |
| 1935 | 101 | #578 | 0.10 |
| 1934 | 105 | #577 | 0.10 |
| 1933 | 86 | #626 | 0.09 |
| 1932 | 119 | #539 | 0.11 |
| 1931 | 108 | #567 | 0.10 |
| 1930 | 100 | #617 | 0.09 |
| 1929 | 94 | #631 | 0.09 |
| 1928 | 109 | #593 | 0.10 |
| 1927 | 129 | #546 | 0.11 |
| 1926 | 142 | #510 | 0.13 |
| 1925 | 143 | #510 | 0.13 |
| 1924 | 177 | #462 | 0.16 |
| 1923 | 159 | #483 | 0.15 |
| 1922 | 160 | #491 | 0.15 |
| 1921 | 162 | #483 | 0.15 |
| 1920 | 154 | #488 | 0.14 |
| 1919 | 146 | #493 | 0.15 |
| 1918 | 149 | #489 | 0.15 |
| 1917 | 152 | #463 | 0.16 |
| 1916 | 109 | #548 | 0.12 |
| 1915 | 150 | #447 | 0.18 |
| 1914 | 105 | #473 | 0.16 |
| 1913 | 92 | #449 | 0.18 |
| 1912 | 64 | #498 | 0.15 |
| 1911 | 47 | #421 | 0.21 |
| 1910 | 25 | #575 | 0.13 |
| 1909 | 24 | #537 | 0.15 |
| 1908 | 25 | #506 | 0.16 |
| 1907 | 32 | #400 | 0.22 |
| 1906 | 25 | #448 | 0.19 |
| 1905 | 22 | #486 | 0.17 |
| 1904 | 21 | #473 | 0.16 |
| 1903 | 20 | #477 | 0.17 |
| 1902 | 24 | #421 | 0.20 |
| 1901 | 27 | #354 | 0.25 |
| 1900 | 24 | #475 | 0.16 |
| 1899 | 11 | #638 | 0.10 |
| 1898 | 38 | #313 | 0.31 |
| 1897 | 17 | #486 | 0.15 |
| 1896 | 23 | #411 | 0.19 |
| 1895 | 28 | #351 | 0.24 |
| 1894 | 30 | #325 | 0.26 |
| 1893 | 25 | #364 | 0.22 |
| 1892 | 40 | #291 | 0.33 |
| 1891 | 40 | #253 | 0.40 |
| 1890 | 39 | #275 | 0.35 |
| 1889 | 39 | #269 | 0.35 |
| 1888 | 33 | #313 | 0.27 |
| 1887 | 32 | #296 | 0.32 |
| 1886 | 34 | #296 | 0.31 |
| 1885 | 38 | #269 | 0.35 |
| 1884 | 39 | #274 | 0.34 |
| 1883 | 32 | #291 | 0.31 |
| 1882 | 34 | #296 | 0.30 |
| 1881 | 31 | #287 | 0.31 |
| 1880 | 43 | #255 | 0.39 |
Ranks and shares: boys’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all boys SSA recorded that year.
Is Jefferson a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Jefferson has been recorded only for boys: SSA lists no girls with the name in 146 years of records (it lists a name only in years with 5 or more babies of a sex).
Girls and boys named Jefferson: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Jefferson, and how old are they?
18,200 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 74% of the 24,440 Americans ever recorded as Jefferson. The median Jefferson alive today is 27 years old; half are between 13 and 51.
The 2020 Census counted 19,267 people named Jefferson (70 women and girls, 19,197 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 16,975 born in the U.S. The Census count is 14% above that prediction. Possible reasons: the Census counts people born abroad, whom SSA’s files leave out, and it records the name people give, which SSA may have recorded under another spelling or as part of a compound name.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 339 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 2,190 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 2,970 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 2,920 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 5,020 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 4,730 |
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 Jefferson born?
The states with the most babies named Jefferson are Texas, California and Florida, with 39% of its births recorded by state in 2025.
| State | Births 2025 | Rank, boys | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 36 | #763 | 1.0× |
| California | 35 | #749 | 0.9× |
| Florida | 23 | #691 | 1.4× |
| New York | 22 | #672 | 0.9× |
| Georgia | 16 | #641 | 1.9× |
| Virginia | 13 | #572 | 1.8× |
| North Carolina | 9 | #899 | 1.4× |
| Maryland | 9 | #537 | 1.6× |
| Tennessee | 9 | #747 | 1.0× |
| Ohio | 9 | #894 | 0.4× |
Where Jefferson is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Jefferson is most over-represented in Georgia: since 1910 it was given 1.9 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 Jefferson 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 24,870 babies since 1880, Jefferson is the most given (98% of them). In 2025 it was given to 298 of their 315 babies (95%), 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 Jefferson
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 Jefferson and names like it
- Compare Jefferson and JefersonBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 2000sJefferson peaked in 2009.
- California’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Jefferson since 1910.
- From surnamesWiktionary’s origin for Jefferson: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 2009The year the most babies were named Jefferson.
- The names of Generation ZMost people named Jefferson alive today were born 1997-2012.
- Names starting with JMost given first.