Jeffrey (given name)

Jeffrey
Pronunciation /ˈɛfri/
Gender masculine
Origin
Word/name Francia, medieval France, Norman England
Other names
Derived Godfrey, Gottfried
Related names Geoffrey, Jeff, Jeffry, Jeffy, Jefrey, Jeffery, Jeffeory Jefferson
Look up Jeffrey in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Jeffrey /ˈɛfri/ is a common English given name and, a variant form of the name Geoffrey (itself from a Middle French variant of Godfrey, Gottfried).[1] It is most commonly spelled as Jeffrey, or with one f as in Jefrey.

It has been argued (Dauzat 1980) that the common derivation of Middle French Geoffrey, Jeffrey from Godfrey is mistaken, and that the names reflect to separate first Germanic elements god vs. gaut, which became conflated in Old High German by the end of the early medieval period.[2]

The three-syllable alternative spelling Jeffery (pronounced "jef-fer-ree") is sometimes used as a variant given name. Outside of North America, Geoffrey is more common than Jeffrey. Jeffrey and its variants are found as surnames, usually as a patronymic ending in -s (e.g., Jefferies, Jaffrays). In Scotland, Jeffrey is most frequently found to be a surname.

Variations include Jeff, Jeffry, Jeffy, Jeffery, Geoff, Geoffrey, Jeffeory, Geffrey, Jefferson, and Jeffro.

People with the name Jeffrey

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See also

References

  1. Behind the Name: Meaning, Origin and History of the Name Geoffrey
  2. Albert Dauzat, Noms et prénoms de France, Librairie Larousse 1980, édition revue et commentée par Marie-Thérèse Morlet. p. 287b - 288a - 296ab.


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