The Jefferson surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 55,179 people carried this name — #615 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 5,340 people counted. That is up 7% from 51,361 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Jefferson surname

From Jeffrey + -son.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Jefferson» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a baptismal name, from a given name: ‘the son of Geoffrey’.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 428 · public domain.

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Jefferson was found among the farmers of 2 counties.

It was most frequent in Cumberland and Westmorland: 40 in every 10,000 farmers there — about 1 in 250. Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Cumberland and Westmorland 40
Yorkshire, North and East Ridings 20

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

21 families named Jefferson, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 142 people lived in those households, 6.8 to a family on average. The table counts it together with one other spelling. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Virginia 8
Maryland 5
North Carolina 3
Massachusetts 1
Rhode Island 1
Connecticut 1
Pennsylvania 1
South Carolina 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 247 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Jefferson in American newspapers,
1804–1904.

Newspaper page from The Daily Enterprise carrying the name Jefferson
The Daily Enterprise 1884-01-03
Newspaper page from The Lexington Advertiser carrying the name Jefferson
The Lexington Advertiser 1904-04-21
Newspaper page from Oracle Post carrying the name Jefferson
Oracle Post 1804-10-30

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 50,334 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Jefferson in Australian newspapers,
1800s–2000s.

24,806 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Jefferson. The most, 4,299, date from the 1860s.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 8,060
Victoria 7,368
Queensland 3,586
South Australia 2,665
Western Australia 1,935
Tasmania 1,079
ACT (Canberra) 54
Northern Territory 12

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Jefferson.

Who carried it

People named Jefferson,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Luther P. Jefferson d. 1941 · politician
  • Euphemia Jefferson d. 1831 · stage actor
  • Joseph Jefferson d. 1821 · Anglican priest
  • Joseph Jefferson d. 1821 · Anglican priest
  • Gwendolen Mary Talbot d. 1948
  • Emily Jefferson d. 1924

Wikidata (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Jefferson,
in the records of 7 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States3,204 records

3,204 records of the Jefferson name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 1,307
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 861
  • Other U.S. records 1,036
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record James Jefferson

    Born 1930; from Alameda County, California. U.S. Army, light weapons infantryman; killed in action 1951 in South Korea. Buried at San Francisco National Cemetery, California.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Rufus Jefferson

    Born 1909 in Texas. Enlisted 1942 at Fort Sam Houston; route man from Bexar County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1966, buried at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery, Texas.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Sarah Jefferson

    Arrived at New York in 1892 aboard the Corean from Glasgow and Londonderry, aged 16; teacher. From Ireland; bound for New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 3,204 records for Jefferson in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia523 records

523 records of the Jefferson name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 339
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 62
  • Other Australian records 122
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Lowther Jefferson

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Isabella, arriving 1818; ticket of leave 1829. Native of Cumberland Co.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Ada M. Jefferson

    Arrived in Victoria in 1859 aboard the Monarch, aged 3; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Frederick Arthur Jefferson

    Gentleman of Camberwell, Victoria; died 1995.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 523 records for Jefferson in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

Canada498 records

498 records of the Jefferson name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 438
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 21
  • Other Canadian records 39
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Lillian Jefferson

    Buried in 1989 at Union Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 78.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Jessie Jefferson

    Died 1935 in Sydney, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  3. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record Robert Merle Jefferson

    Died in service in 1945.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.

Showing 3 of 498 records for Jefferson in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

United Kingdom38 records

38 records of the Jefferson name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 26
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 9
  • Other British records 3
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record James Jefferson

    Born 1887 at Fort George; regular soldier. Served in the First World War. Named in the Morayshire roll of honour (1921).

    National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Harold Stuart Jefferson

    Died 2001, aged 73; buried at Logie Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record George Jefferson

    Buried in 1811 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 46.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Showing 3 of 38 records for Jefferson in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain) · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0); Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

New Zealand5 records

5 records of the Jefferson name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 2
  • Thames-Coromandel District cemetery records 2
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Eliza Beckett Jefferson

    Buried in 1885 at Shortland Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 62.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Amelia Gregory Jefferson

    Died 1964, aged 80; buried at Memorial Park Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Livre d’or of the French war dead, Paris
    Example: roll of the war dead
    War record H. Jefferson

    New Zealand Field Artillery. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 3 of 5 records for Jefferson in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Livre d’or of the war dead, Paris, Ministère des pensions, Archives nationales (CC0).

Netherlands4 records

4 records of the Jefferson name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 2
  • Dutch population registers 1
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 1
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record William John Francis Jefferson

    Married in 1929 in Apeldoorn; "verzekeringsambtenaar".

    Open Archives, Gelders Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Martinus Jefferson

    Married in 1640 in Rotterdam; born in Engelant.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 2 of 4 records for Jefferson in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

France3 records

3 records of the Jefferson name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Albertine Lucie Germaine Jefferson

    Born 1895 in Lubine; died 1985 in Remiremont (Vosges).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Lindsay Jefferson

    Born 1973 in Goodwill (Dominique); died 1997 in Les Abymes (Guadeloupe).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 2 of 3 records for Jefferson in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Jefferson.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Jefferson is.
A volume says what happened to it.

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