Pronunciation | /ˈdʒɛfri/ JEF-ree |
---|---|
Gender | Male |
Origin | |
Word/name | Francia, medieval France, Norman England |
Other names | |
Nickname(s) | Jeff |
Derived | Godfrey, Gottfried |
Related names | Geoffrey, Jeff, Jeffry, Jeffy, Jefrey, Jeffery, Jofre, Jeffeory, Joffrey, Jefferson |
Jeffrey is a common English given name, and a variant form of the name Geoffrey (itself from a Middle French variant of Godfrey, Gottfried). [1]
It has been argued that the common derivation of Middle French Geoffrey (or Geoffroy), Jeffery from Godfrey is mistaken, and that the names reflect two separate first Germanic elements god vs. gaut , which became conflated in Old High German by the end of the early medieval period. [2]
Outside of North America, Geoffrey is more common than Jeffrey. Jeffrey and its variants are found as surnames, usually as a patronymic ending in -s (e.g., Jefferies, Jaffrays); The surname Jefferson is also a patronymic version of the given name. In Scotland, Jeffrey is most frequently found to be a surname.
Variations include Jeff, Jeffry, Jeffy, Jeffery, Jefferey, Jeffory, Jefrie, Geoff, Geoffrey, Jeffeory, Geffrey, Jefferson, and Jeffro.
Howard is an English-language given name originating from Old French Huard from a Germanic source similar to Old High German *Hugihard "heart-brave", or *Hoh-ward, literally "high defender; chief guardian". It is also probably in some cases a confusion with the Old Norse cognate Haward (Hávarðr), which means "high guard", and as a surname also with the unrelated Hayward. In some rare cases it is from the Old English eowu hierde "ewe herd". In Anglo-Norman the French digram -ou- was often rendered as -ow- such as tour → tower, flour → flower, etc.. A diminutive is "Howie" and its shortened form is "Ward". Between 1900 and 1960, Howard has ranked in the U.S. Top 200; between 1960 and 1990, it ranked in the U.S. Top 400; between 1990 and 2004, it ranked in the U.S. Top 600. People with the given name Howard or its variants include:
Terry is a unisex given name, derived from French Thierry and Theodoric. It can also be used as a diminutive nickname for the names Teresa or Theresa (feminine) or Terence, Terrance or Terrier (masculine).
Jeff is a masculine name, often a short form (hypocorism) of the English given name Jefferson or Jeffrey, which comes from a medieval variant of Geoffrey.
Steve is a masculine given name, usually a short form (hypocorism) of Steven or Stephen.
Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Old Frankish and is a compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic *rīk- 'ruler, leader, king' and *hardu- 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'strong in rule'. Nicknames include "Richie", "Dick", "Dickon", "Dickie", "Rich", "Rick", "Rico", "Ricky", and more.
Chris is a short form of various names including Christopher, Christian, Christina, and Christine. Chris is also used as a name in its own right, however it is not as common.
Ian or Iain is a name of Scottish Gaelic origin, which is derived from the Hebrew given name יוֹחָנָן and corresponds to the English name John. The spelling Ian is an Anglicization of the Scottish Gaelic forename Iain. This name is a popular name in Scotland, where it originated, as well as in other English-speaking countries.
Paul is a common Latin masculine given name in countries and ethnicities with a Christian heritage and, beyond Europe, in Christian religious communities throughout the world. Paul – or its variations – can be a given name or surname.
Ken is a Japanese name which can have many different meanings depending on the kanji used. Ken is also a masculine given name of Scottish / Scottish Gaelic origin. It is used either as a given name or as a short form of names with the letters "Ken".
Shepherd is a surname, cognate of the English word "Shepherd". Several common spelling variations exist, including Shepperd, Shephard, Shepard, and Sheppard.
Geoffrey is an English and German masculine given name. It is generally considered the Anglo-Norman form of the Germanic compound *gudą 'god' and *friþuz 'peace'. It is a derivative of Dutch Godfried, German Gottfried and Old English Gotfrith and Godfrith.
Jeff or Jeffrey Williams may refer to:
O'Hara is a surname. The death of the eponym – Eaghra Poprigh mac Saorghus, lord of Luighne, in Connaught – is mentioned in the Annals of the Four Masters in 926. According to historian C. Thomas Cairney, the O'Haras were one of the chiefly families of the "race of Luighne" or "Lugh" who came from the tribe of Cianacht who in turn were from the Dumnonii or Laigin who were the third wave of Celts to settle in Ireland during the first century BC.
Jeffrey Allen may refer to: