Show ContentsJaffray History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Jaffray family

The surname Jaffray was first found in Aberdeen where "Jaffray was an old family name." Early feudal rolls provided the king of the time a method of cataloguing holdings for taxation, but today they provide a glimpse into the wide surname spellings in use at that time. "Symon le fiz Geffrai and Piers le fiz Geffray, burgesses of Peebles, rendered homage [to King Edward I of England] in 1296. Payment was made to David Geoffrey, Scottish merchant, for injuries and trespasses committed on him in 1474, John Joffray appears as witness, 1511, and a later John Jofra was witness in Brechin in 1552." [1]

Early History of the Jaffray family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Jaffray research. Another 211 words (15 lines of text) covering the years 1536, 1583, 1587, 1596, 1605, 1613, 1614, 1618, 1629, 1632, 1633, 1634, 1635, 1636, 1642, 1643, 1644, 1645, 1652, 1653, 1673, 1687, 1718 and 1753 are included under the topic Early Jaffray History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Jaffray Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Jaffray, Jaffrey, Jafery and others.

Early Notables of the Jaffray family

Notable amongst the family at this time was

  • Alexander Jaffray (1614-1673), Director of the Chancellary of Scotland and a Quaker, son of Alexander Jaffray (d. 10 Jan...
  • On 1 July 1643 Gordon attacked Jaffray on the road near Kintore, Aberdeenshire, wounding him in the head, and his brother, John Jaffray, in the arm...
  • For this outrage Gordon was fined twenty thousand merks, five thousand of which went as damages to the Jaffrays...
  • On 19 March 1644 Gordon, who had joined the rising under George Gordon, second Marquis of Huntly, rode into Aberdeen with sixty horse, captured the Jaffrays and others, and confined them, first at Str...
  • They were released in about seven weeks, but Jaffray's wife had died at Aberdeen, partly from the fright caused by the violence attending her husband's capture...


United States Jaffray migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Jaffray Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • George Jaffray of Kincardine who settled in New Hampshire and became Speaker of the Assembly in New Hampshire in 1707
  • Lewis Jaffray, who settled in New England in 1774
Jaffray Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • John R Jaffray, aged 27, who arrived in New York in 1812 [2]
  • Robert Jaffray, who landed in New York in 1820 [2]
  • Alexander Jaffray, who settled in New York in 1820
  • James Jaffray, who settled in New York in 1822

Australia Jaffray migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Jaffray Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Miss Helen Jaffray, (McCarrol), Scottish convict who was convicted in Aberdeen, Scotland for 14 years, transported aboard the "Earl of Liverpool" in December 1830, arriving in New South Wales, Australia [3]

New Zealand Jaffray migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Jaffray Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • William Jaffray, aged 25, a shepherd, who arrived in Otago aboard the ship "Philip Laing" in 1848
  • Margaret Jaffray, aged 19, who arrived in Otago aboard the ship "Philip Laing" in 1848
  • Mr. William Jaffray, Scottish settler travelling from Greenock aboard the ship "Philip Laing" arriving in Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 15th April 1848 [4]
  • Mrs. Jaffray, Scottish settler travelling from Greenock aboard the ship "Philip Laing" arriving in Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 15th April 1848 [4]
  • Anabella Jaffray, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Cresswell" in 1856
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Jaffray (post 1700) +

  • Robert Jaffray (1832-1914), Canadian grocer, publisher and politician, he was appointed to the Canadian senate in 1906 on the recommendation of Sir Wilfrid Laurier
  • Alistair Jaffray, Undersecretary of State
  • Jason Jaffray (b. 1981), Canadian hockey player
  • David Jaffray (b. 1970), Canadian medical physicist
  • Robert A. Jaffray (1873-1945), Canadian religious leader
  • John Jaffray (1818-1901), British journalist

HMS Repulse
  • Mr. Thomas D Jaffray, British Ordinary Seaman, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and survived the sinking [5]


The Jaffray Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Post nubillia phoebus
Motto Translation: After the clouds sunshine.


  1. Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
  2. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  3. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 20th August 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-of-liverpool
  4. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  5. HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html


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