Jeffrey Family History

English and Scottish: from the common Middle English and Older Scots personal name Geffrey, a borrowing of Old French Geuffrei, Jeufrei, Jefrei, Gosfrei, Jofrei. The principal source of the Old French forms was probably ancient Germanic Gautfrid from an ethnic name + frithu ‘peace’.

It was commonly Latinized in early documents as Gaufridus or Galfridus, but also as Goisfridus or Gosfridus. Anglo-Norman French Jofreith, Jofrei lies behind the English surnames Joffrey and Joffray which are recorded in the late nineteenth century, but may now be extinct.