How common is the surname Jefferson?

55,179 people in the United States had the surname Jefferson in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 5,595 Americans. It ranked 615th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Jefferson?

Richard Jefferson, American basketball player (born 1980), followed by Blind Lemon Jefferson.

Where is the surname Jefferson most common?

Wikidata records people named Jefferson in the United States and Brazil.

How do you pronounce Jefferson?

Jefferson is /ˈd͡ʒɛfɚsən/, 3 syllables.

Is the surname Jefferson getting more or less common?

More common. 51,361 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 55,179 in 2010, up 7.4%.

Is Jefferson also a first name?

Yes. Jefferson is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.

The surname Jefferson

A patronymic surname, carried by 55,179 people in the United States.

Pronounced /ˈd͡ʒɛfɚsən/ 3 syllables Soundex J162 Also a first name

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Jefferson is more common than 99.6% of them.

Origin

From Jeffrey + -son. The placenames in the United States are named for Thomas Jefferson.

Jefferson is a patronymic surname: formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 55,179 people named Jefferson in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 5,595 Americans. That is up 7.4% since 2000, when the Census counted 51,361.

#615

rank among US surnames

55,179

people in 2010

per 100,000 Americans

+7.4%

change since 2000 (was #594)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#606	Larsen	55,960	5,517
#607	Conley	55,917	5,521
#608	Davenport	55,895	5,524
#609	Copeland	55,850	5,528
#610	Massey	55,595	5,553
#611	Lam	55,554	5,558
#612	Huff	55,484	5,565

Who is named Jefferson

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

74% of people named Jefferson identified as Black (not Hispanic), 17% as white (not Hispanic) and 3.5% as two or more races.

Black (not Hispanic) 74%
White (not Hispanic) 17%
Two or more races 3.5%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.5%
American Indian and Alaska Native 1.9%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.4%

Compare: most common surnames among Black Americans.

Famous Jeffersons

22 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Richard Jefferson
American basketball player (born 1980)
Blind Lemon Jefferson
American blues singer and guitarist (1893–1929)
Al Jefferson
American basketball player (born 1985)
Herbert Jefferson Jr.
American actor (born 1946)
Marshall Jefferson
American DJ and record producer, born 1959
Justin Jefferson
American football player (born 1999)
Roberto Jefferson
Brazilian politician (born 1953)
Joseph Jefferson
American actor and painter (1829–1905)
Cory Jefferson
American basketball player (born 1990)
George Jefferson
American pole vaulter (1910–1996)
Eddie Jefferson
American singer, 1918–1979
Thomas Jefferson
American athlete, born 1962

Notable Jeffersons come mostly from the United States (21) and Brazil (1).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like Jefferson

Jefferson has the Soundex code J162, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code J162.

Questions

Where does the surname Jefferson come from?: From Jeffrey + -son. The placenames in the United States are named for Thomas Jefferson.
How common is the surname Jefferson?: 55,179 people in the United States had the surname Jefferson in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 5,595 Americans. It ranked 615th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Jefferson?: In the 2010 Census, 74% of people named Jefferson identified as Black (not Hispanic), and 17% as white (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Jefferson?: Richard Jefferson, American basketball player (born 1980), followed by Blind Lemon Jefferson.
Where is the surname Jefferson most common?: Wikidata records people named Jefferson in the United States and Brazil.
How do you pronounce Jefferson?: Jefferson is /ˈd͡ʒɛfɚsən/, 3 syllables.
What type of surname is Jefferson?: Jefferson is a patronymic surname, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.
Is the surname Jefferson getting more or less common?: More common. 51,361 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 55,179 in 2010, up 7.4%.
Is Jefferson also a first name?: Yes. Jefferson is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.