Show ContentsJeffcoat History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Jeffcoat is one of the oldest family names to come from the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It is derived from the baptismal name for the son of Geoffrey. [1]

Early Origins of the Jeffcoat family

The surname Jeffcoat was first found in Worcestershire where Geoffrey Geffcoke was registered in the Subsidy Rolls of 1327. A few years later, William Gefcok was found in the Subsidy Rolls for Staffordshire in 1332 and again, in Staffordshire, Emota Jeffecockes was registered there in the Subsidy Rolls for 1380. [2]

Early History of the Jeffcoat family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Jeffcoat research. Another 114 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1616 and 1713 are included under the topic Early Jeffcoat History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Jeffcoat Spelling Variations

Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Jeffcoat has undergone many spelling variations, including Jefcott, Jeffcott, Jefcote, Jeffcoat, Jefcock and many more.

Early Notables of the Jeffcoat family

More information is included under the topic Early Jeffcoat Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Jeffcoat Ranking

In the United States, the name Jeffcoat is the 5,954th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. [3]


United States Jeffcoat migration to the United States +

To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Jeffcoat were among those contributors:

Jeffcoat Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Henry Jeffcoat and his wife Rebecca and three children arrived in New York in 1820

New Zealand Jeffcoat 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:

Jeffcoat Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Hannah Jeffcoat, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Mary Shepherd" in 1870

Contemporary Notables of the name Jeffcoat (post 1700) +

  • John Jeffcoat, American film director
  • Jackson Jeffcoat (b. 1991), American football defensive end
  • George Edward Jeffcoat (1913-1978), former American Major League Baseball player
  • Harold Bentley Jeffcoat (1924-2007), American Major League Baseball outfielder and pitcher
  • Donald Lee "Don" Jeffcoat Jr. (b. 1975), American actor
  • James Wilson Jeffcoat Jr. (b. 1961), former American football defensive lineman
  • James Michael Jeffcoat (b. 1959), former American Major League Baseball player
  • Wilber Lee Jeffcoat, American Democratic Party politician, Vice-chair of South Carolina Democratic Party, 2008; Delegate to Democratic National Convention from South Carolina, 2008 [4]
  • Rupert Edward Elessing Jeffcoat (b. 1970), Scottish organist, composer, and Anglican priest

Arrow Air Flight 1285
  • Mr. Marvin A Jeffcoat (1943-1985), American Lieutenant Colonel from Tallahassee, Florida, USA who died in the Arrow Air Flight 1285 crash [5]


  1. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  2. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  3. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  4. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 8) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  5. American War Memorials - Flight 1285. (Retrieved 2016, August 24) . Retrieved from http://www.uswarmemorials.org/html/monument_details.php?SiteID=317&MemID=550


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