Jeff
Jeff is a masculine name, often a short form (hypocorism) of the English given names Jefferson or Jeffrey, the latter of which comes from a medieval variant of Geoffrey.
Meaning & Origin of Jeff
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Jeff is a masculine name, often a short form (hypocorism) of the English given names Jefferson or Jeffrey, the latter of which comes from a medieval variant of Geoffrey.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Jeff
Jeff first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1880, with 66 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1961, when 9,462 Jeffs were born — ranking #49 that year. As of 2026, Jeff ranks #3,132 for baby boys with 39 births, falling sharply (-27%). In total, more than 120K Jeffs have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Jeff
Phonetically similar names — useful when Jeff is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Jeff
What does the name Jeff mean?
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About the name Jeff
Jeff is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 120K births in the dataset. Jeff's peak popularity came in 1961 when it ranked #44. Use the chart and map above to compare Jeff's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1961 →
- Names of the 1960s →
- Names starting with "J" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.