Name meaning & stats
Jef
Jef means “God's peace (debated)” (English origin). 129 US babies since 1940, peak 1963. Notable Jefs are 1.5× over-represented as musicians.
What it means
“God's peace (debated)”
EnglishSpelling of Jeff
A short form of Jeffrey.
Jeff around the world
- Джефф · Russian
- Джефф · Ukrainian
- جيف · Arabic
- ג'ף · Hebrew
- ジェフ · Japanese
- 傑夫 · Chinese
- 제프 · Korean
- Jeph
- Jef
- Jeffer
Famous Jeffs
- Jeff Goldblum · American actor and musician
- Jeff Gordon · American racing driver
- Jeff Bennett · American voice actor
- Jeff Daniels · American actor, musician and playwright
In US birth records
Peak year: 1963
129 US babies were named Jef between 1940 and 2025.
Jef around the world
- Belgium: 2,635 babies since 1995, peak 2001, No. 226 in 2025
- France: 115 babies since 1900, peak 1990
From official birth registries. Sources are listed on About the data.
Where Jefs end up
| Career | vs expected | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| Politician | 1.1× | Low · 9 people |
| Footballer | 0.9× | Low · 6 people |
| Musician | 1.5× | Low · 5 people |
| Writer | 1.1× | Low · 4 people |
Among notable men who are musicians, Jefs show up 1.5× as often as you'd expect from how common the name is.
Notable people of every nationality born 1940–2005 (Wikidata). Patterns, not destiny.
Other spellings
1 in 882 Jeffs spell it Jef
Names that sound the same, grouped by Heyotag. Share of US babies since 1940.
Name twins (peaked around 1963)