Contents [hide]

Jefferson History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Jefferson History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Wales
Ireland

This Jefferson surname comes from the Norman personal names Geoffrey and Godfrey. These names appear in Middle English as Geffrey and in Old French as Jefroi or Jeufroi. Galfridus and Gaufridus are early forms of the name; these indicate a Germanic first element derived from either "gala," which means "to sing," or "gawi," which means "region" or "territory." 1

The surname Jefferson also features the patronymic suffix "-son," which superseded all other such suffixes in popularity by the 14th century and was most common in the north of Britain.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 Jefferson family

The surname Jefferson was first found in Staffordshire where Robert Geffreysone was recorded in the Assize Rolls for 1344. Years later, the family emerged in Yorkshire where Alice Geffrason was listed in 1488 and later John Jeffrason was listed as a Freeman of York in 1528. 2

The Jeffersons of Virginia which included US President Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) probably hailed from England.

Early History of the Jefferson family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Jefferson research. Another 165 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1344, 1488, 1528, 1609, 1640, 1641, 1648, 1658, 1691, 1720, 1743, 1797 and 1826 are included under the topic Early Jefferson History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Jefferson Spelling Variations

Norman surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are largely due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England, as well as the official court languages of Latin and French, also had pronounced influences on the spelling of surnames. Since medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings. The name has been spelled Jeffers, Jefferson, Jeffson, Jephson and others.

Early Notables of the Jefferson family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), was President of the United States

Jefferson Ranking

In the United States, the name Jefferson is the 460^th most popular surname with an estimated 62,175 people with that name. 3

Migration of the Jefferson family to Ireland

Some of the Jefferson 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.

Jefferson migration to the United States +

Many English families emigrated to North American colonies in order to escape the political chaos in Britain at this time. Unfortunately, many English families made the trip to the New World under extremely harsh conditions. Overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the stormy Atlantic. Despite these hardships, many of the families prospered and went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the United States and Canada. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the name Jefferson or a variant listed above:

Jefferson Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Jefferson, who arrived in Virginia in 1619 aboard the ship "Bona Nova" 4
James Jefferson, who landed in Virginia in 1638 4
Robert Jefferson, who landed in Virginia in 1639 4
Alice Jefferson, who arrived in Virginia in 1648 4
Mary Jefferson, who arrived in Virginia in 1653 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Jefferson Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Edward Jefferson, who arrived in Virginia in 1704 4
Weldon Jefferson, who arrived in Virginia in 1704 4
Frances Jefferson, who landed in Virginia in 1711 4

Jefferson Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Thomas Jefferson, who landed in New York in 1836 4
T H Jefferson, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 4
William Jefferson, who landed in Mississippi in 1853 4

Jefferson migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Jefferson Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Robert Jefferson, who settled in Nova Scotia in 1774
Robert Jefferson, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1774

Jefferson migration to Australia +

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

Jefferson Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Charles Jefferson, English convict who was convicted in West Riding, Yorkshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Egyptian" on 5th April 1839, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 5
Francis Jefferson, aged 42, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1851 aboard the ship "Prince Regent" 6
Francis Jefferson, aged 42, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Prince Regent" in 1851 6
Anne Jefferson, aged 25, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Prince Regent" in 1851 6
Thomas Jefferson, aged 13, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Prince Regent" in 1851 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Jefferson 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:

Jefferson Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Benj Jefferson, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1841 aboard the ship Lady Nugent
Benjamin Jefferson, aged 45, a farm labourer, who arrived in Port Nicholson aboard the ship "Lady Nugent" in 1841
Sarah Jefferson, aged 37, who arrived in Port Nicholson aboard the ship "Lady Nugent" in 1841
Mr. Benjamin Jefferson, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Lady Nugent" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 17th March 1841 7
James Jefferson, aged 23, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Seringapatam" in 1856
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Jefferson (post 1700) +

Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), American politician, U.S. Minister to France, 1785-89; U.S. Secretary of State, 1790-93; Vice President of the United States, 1797-1801; President of the United States, 1801-09 8
Justin Jamal Jefferson (b. 1999), American football wide receiver for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League
Alexander Jefferson (1921-2022), American Air Force officer, one of the Tuskegee Airmen, the 332nd Fighter Group, also known for his personal memoir Red Tail Captured, Red Tail Free: Memoirs of a Tuskegee Airman and POW
George Leo "Jeff" Jefferson (1922-1985), American Negro league baseball pitcher who played from 1942 and 1950, Negro League World Series Champion (1945)
Willie "Bill" Jefferson (1904-1976), American Negro league baseball pitcher who played from 1937 and 1948, Negro League World Series Champion (1945)
Margo Lillian Jefferson (b. 1947), American theater critic at The New York Times awarded the 1995 Pulitzer Prize for Criticism
Doris Jefferson, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Illinois, 1980 8
Donald C. Jefferson, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Pennsylvania, 1952 8
Charles Jefferson, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Illinois, 1996, 2008 8
Betty L. Jefferson, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Louisiana, 1996 8
... (Another 47 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Jefferson family +

HMS Repulse

Mr. Reginald Jefferson, British Ordnance Artificer 4th Class, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and survived the sinking 9

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 26th January 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/egyptian
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) PRINCE REGENT 1851. Retrieved http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1851PrinceRegent.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 8) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html