Jeffcoat
A surname from the name Jeffrey/Geoffrey, with a diminutive or altered ending that produced forms like Jeffcoat.
The #7,549 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 70,074 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Jeffcoat is generally explained as a pet-form surname built on Jeff, a short form of Jeffrey or Geoffrey. The first element ultimately goes back to Germanic personal-name elements that entered English through Norman French. The ending -coat is usually taken as a later altered or dialectal surname suffix rather than the word for clothing, and early spellings show variation such as Jeffcott and related forms.
History
The name is recorded in several spellings, including Jeffcoat, Jeffcott, Jephcott, and Jeffoott, reflecting loose historical spelling and local pronunciation. It belongs to the common English class of surnames formed from a father’s given name. In modern usage it is found chiefly in English-speaking countries, especially the United States and Britain.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Older surname dictionaries grouped Jeffcoat with other names whose endings were reshaped by dialect and spelling change, so the modern form can look more unusual than its fairly ordinary origin.
From the historical record
“Jeff; V. Jeffs. JefToook, Jeffcoat* Jephoott, Jeffoott. — Bapt < the son of Jeffrey' or 'Geoffrey/ q.v., from the nick. Jeff, with suffix 'COck; v. Cock. With the corrupted Jeph- cott, cf. Glasscock for Glascott, a”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (alternate scan)