'Jeffersonian' originates from the name 'Thomas Jefferson', the third President of the United States, where 'Jefferson' refers to his surname and '-ian' is a suffix meaning 'related to or characteristic of'.

'Jefferson' transformed into the adjective 'Jeffersonian' to describe ideas or principles associated with Thomas Jefferson.

Initially, it meant 'related to Thomas Jefferson', but over time it evolved into its current meaning of 'relating to or characteristic of Jefferson's political principles'.