Meaning and background
The story behind Jefferson
Jefferson is a northern English patronymic surname developed from medieval Geffrey or Jeffray and son. The dictionary describes intermediate spoken and written changes, including Geffreyson, Jeffrason, and Gefferson. That sequence explains why the modern spelling does not simply look like Jeffrey with son attached. Its origin is therefore a personal-name lineage formation; honoring a particular historical Jefferson is an additional choice rather than the linguistic derivation itself.
- Origin
- Northern English patronymic from Middle English Geffrey or Jeffray plus “son,” with documented sound changes. Source
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Everyday moments“Jefferson, come here!”
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About Jefferson
Recorded as a dog’s name
Jefferson appears in 6 dog licence records in the 2026 New York City dataset.
How to read this count
These records cover New York City and may count the same dog in more than one licence period. They are not a national popularity ranking.
Pronunciation and rhythm
/dʒɛfɚsən/
US English sound sequence, converted from the CMU dictionary. Stress marks are shown separately.
Stress on the first syllable in the recorded US readings.
View dictionary notation
/dʒɛfɚsən/ · primary stress on syllable 1JH EH1 F ER0 S AH0 N
These are US dictionary readings. Personal, regional and other language pronunciations may differ.
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Sources and research notes (2)
- New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene NYC Dog Licensing Dataset — extract_year 2026 — Dog licence periods, not unique dogs; NYC only. No owner-level fields retrieved.
- Carnegie Mellon University / CMU Sphinx maintainers CMU US English Pronouncing Dictionary — US English dictionary readings; not owner-specific or exhaustive multilingual pronunciation
References support the individual facts shown. A source link does not mean the entire profile has been verified.