Jefferson is an English surname meaning "son of Jeffrey", and Jeffrey in turn goes back to Germanic names built on the word for "peace". In America the name is inseparable from Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Independence and third president, which is why it has long been used as a first name. Jefferson has stayed in the US top 1000 since 2000, peaked at number 589 in 2009 and ranks number 831 among boys in 2025.