| ![Show Contents]() Jeffers History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The Jeffers surname is a patronymic name that comes from the personal names Geoffrey and Godfrey. These names appear in Old English as Geffrey and in Old French as Jefroi or Jeufroi. The surname Jeffers makes use of the patronymic suffix -son, which had superseded all other such suffixes in popularity by the 14th century, and was most common in the north of Britain. This suffix was sometimes abbreviated to -s. Early Origins of the Jeffers familyThe surname Jeffers was first found in Staffordshire where Robert Geffreysone was listed in the Assize Rolls for 1344. In Yorkshire, we found Alice Geffrason there in 1488 and John Jeffrason was listed as a Freeman of York in 1528. 1 Early History of the Jeffers familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Jeffers research. Another 118 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1691, 1720, 1797 and 1821 are included under the topic Early Jeffers History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Jeffers Spelling VariationsCompared to other ancient cultures found in the British Isles, the number of Welsh surnames are relatively few, but there are an inordinately large number of spelling variations. These spelling variations began almost as soon as surname usage became common. People could not specify how to spell their own names leaving the specific recording up to the individual scribe or priest. Those recorders would then spell the names as they heard them, causing many different variations. Later, many Welsh names were recorded in English. This transliteration process was extremely imprecise since the Brythonic Celtic language of the Welsh used many sounds the English language was not accustomed to. Finally, some variations occurred by the individual's design: a branch loyalty within a family, a religious adherence, or even patriotic affiliations were indicated by spelling variations of one's name. The Jeffers name over the years has been spelled Jeffers, Jefferson, Jeffson, Jephson and others. Early Notables of the Jeffers familyProminent amongst the family during the late Middle Ages was - Thomas Jefferson, President of the United States
Jeffers RankingIn the United States, the name Jeffers is the 1,637th most popular surname with an estimated 19,896 people with that name. 2  Migration of the Jeffers family to Ireland
Some of the Jeffers family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 53 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
| Jeffers migration to the United States | + |
Many Welsh joined the great migrations to North America in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Like their Scottish and Irish neighbors, many Welsh families left their homeland hoping to find hope and prosperity in a land that the English did not exercise a tight rule over. Those Welsh immigrants that successfully traveled to North America went on to make significant contributions to the rapid development of both Canada and the United States in terms of the settling of land and the establishment of industry. They also added to the rich cultural heritage of both countries. An examination into the immigration and passenger lists has discovered a number of people bearing the name Jeffers:
Jeffers Settlers in United States in the 17th Century- Thomas and John Jeffers, who settled in Virginia in 1642
- Tho Jeffers, who landed in Virginia in 1642 3
- Hugh Jeffers, who arrived in Virginia in 1655 3
- Eleanor Jeffers, who landed in Maryland in 1663-1664 3
- Eliza, Jeffers Jr., who arrived in Maryland in 1663-1664 3
Jeffers Settlers in United States in the 18th Century- William Jeffers, who arrived in New York in 1785 3
Jeffers Settlers in United States in the 19th Century- John Jeffers, who landed in America in 1801 3
- William Jeffers, who landed in New York, NY in 1804 3
- Anthony Jeffers, who arrived in New York, NY in 1815 3
- S Jeffers, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1850 3
- Harry J Jeffers, who landed in Mississippi in 1885 3
| Jeffers migration to Canada | + |
Some of the first settlers of this family name were: Jeffers Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century- John Jeffers, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1760
Jeffers Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century- Humphrey Jeffers, aged 25, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1834 aboard the brig "Matilda" from Cork, Ireland
- Thomas Jeffers, aged 30, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1834 aboard the brig "Matilda" from Cork, Ireland
- John Jeffers, aged 30, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1834 aboard the brig "Matilda" from Cork, Ireland
- Eliza Jeffers, aged 26, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1834 aboard the brig "Matilda" from Cork, Ireland
- Mary Jeffers, aged 15, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1834 aboard the brig "Matilda" from Cork, Ireland
Jeffers Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century- J Jeffers, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1907
| Jeffers migration to Australia | + |
Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include: Jeffers Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century- Mr. Thomas Jeffers (b. 1806), aged 27, Cornish settler convicted in Cornwall, UK on 31st December 1833, sentenced for 14 years for stealing items of clothing from James Pulling and John Collins, transported aboard the ship "Surrey" on 9th April 1834 to New South Wales, Australia 4
| Contemporary Notables of the name Jeffers (post 1700) | + |
- Commodore William Nicholson Jeffers (1824-1883), U.S. Navy officer of the 19th century
- Brent Jeffers, American football coach in the United States
- Henry Williams Jeffers (1871-1953), American dairy man and Republican Party politician
- Maurice Jeffers (b. 1979), American professional basketball player
- Patrick Christopher Jeffers (b. 1973), former American football wide receiver
- Hamilton Moore Jeffers (1893-1978), noted American astronomer
- Lamar Jeffers (1888-1983), U.S. Representative from Alabama
- Othyus Jeffers (b. 1985), American professional basketball player
- John Robinson Jeffers (1887-1962), American poet
- Burton H. Jeffers, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for New York State Assembly from Wayne County, 1944 5
- ... (Another 24 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
| Historic Events for the Jeffers family | + |
Grover Shoe factory - Mr. William F. Jeffers, American employee of the Grover Shoe factory in Brockton, Massachusetts on 20th March 1905 when the boiler exploded and collapsed the wooden building; he died 6
USS Arizona - Mr. Warren E. Jeffers, American Seaman First Class working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he survived the sinking 7
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: A cruce salus
Motto Translation: Salvation from the cross.
- Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
- "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
- 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)
- Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 30th May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_australia_convicts.pdf
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 8) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
- California Digital Newspaper from 21st March 1905 (retrieved on 5th August 2021.) Retrieved from https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SFC19050321.2.19&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN--------1
- Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html
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Jeffers migration to the United States 
Jeffers migration to Canada 
Jeffers migration to Australia 
England
Wales
Ireland
