boys' name ★ peaked 1978

Jed

Meaning A diminutive of the male given name Jedidiah Gender Boy Rank 2025 #1,999 Trend ↑ Rising 14%

A diminutive of the male given name Jedidiah.

Rank 2025
#1,999
among boys · ↓10 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
76
named Jed · -3% vs 2024
How common
1 in 22,475
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1978
282 babies
All-time total
8,945
#1,292 all-time among boys
First recorded
1913
in Social Security records

Jed popularity over time

8,945 babies have been named Jed since 1913, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.050.10.150.218801900192019401960198020002020Peak 1978Boys

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Boys Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – –
1890s – – – –
1900s – – – –
1910s 44 4 – #2,584
1920s 68 7 +55% #2,454
1930s 139 14 +104% #1,512
1940s 299 30 +115% #917
1950s 1,084 108 +263% #638
1960s 1,065 107 -2% #584
1970s 1,950 195 +83% #484
1980s 1,579 158 -19% #567
1990s 812 81 -49% #1,106
2000s 716 72 -12% #1,433
2010s 693 69 -3% #1,735
2020s (to 2025) 496 83 +19% #1,666

Where Jed is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 78 0.05 outside top 500
2027 81 0.05 outside top 500
2028 83 0.05 outside top 500
2029 84 0.05 outside top 500
2030 86 0.05 outside top 500

Where Jed is most popular

Boys named Jed per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.046 per 1,000. Strongest in Tennessee, Ohio, and Wisconsin.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Jed born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Tennessee 23 0.127 +175%
Ohio 19 0.072 +55%
Wisconsin 5 0.042 -9%
Missouri 5 0.036 -22%
Washington 5 0.031 -34%
Texas 25 0.028 -39%
Michigan 5 0.024 -47%
Georgia 6 0.024 -49%
Florida 6 0.013 -73%
California 8 0.009 -81%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Illinois – – –
Indiana – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Minnesota – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Carolina – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
New York – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Pennsylvania – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Utah – – –
Virginia – – –
Vermont – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Jed

Jed is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #1,999 in 2025 with 76 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1913, 8,945 American babies have been named Jed. Its peak came in 1978, when 282 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1970s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Jed stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Jed?

The median living Jed is about 44 years old; half are between 27 and 55. An estimated 7,800 people named Jed are alive in the United States today.

median 44 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Jed year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Boys Boys rank
2025 76 #1,999
2024 78 #1,989
2023 92 #1,768
2022 72 #2,089
2021 82 #1,878
2020 96 #1,666
2019 69 #2,100
2018 56 #2,368
2017 78 #1,875
2016 64 #2,153
2015 76 #1,923
2014 76 #1,912
2013 67 #2,033
2012 63 #2,145
2011 85 #1,735
2010 59 #2,223
2009 72 #1,964
2008 60 #2,220
2007 57 #2,290
2006 70 #1,931
2005 79 #1,697
2004 65 #1,897
2003 92 #1,433
2002 71 #1,669
2001 80 #1,519
2000 70 #1,658
1995 83 #1,291
1990 94 #1,106
1985 145 #733
1980 217 #584
1975 214 #551
1970 112 #780
1965 66 #914
1960 140 #663
1955 136 #640
1950 53 #952
1945 21 #1,470
1940 11 #2,245
1935 10 #2,456
1930 13 #2,237
1925 11 #2,667
1920 9 #3,076
1915 5 #4,099
1910 – –
1905 – –
1900 – –
1895 – –
1890 – –
1885 – –
1880 – –

Famous people named Jed

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Jed Allan Jed Allan American actor and TV host (1935–2019) Contemporary
  2. 2 Jed Brophy Jed Brophy New Zealand actor (born 1963) Contemporary
  3. 3 Jed Steer Former English footballer (born 1992) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Jed, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Jed?

The median living Jed is about 44 years old. Half of all living Jeds are between 27 and 55 years old.

How many people named Jed are alive today?

An estimated 7,800 people named Jed are alive in the United States, based on 8,945 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Jed mean?

A diminutive of the male given name Jedidiah.

How popular is the name Jed in 2025?

Jed ranked #1,999 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 76 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Jed?

8,945 babies have been named Jed in the United States since 1913, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Jed most popular?

Jed peaked in 1978, when 282 newborns received the name.

Is Jed a boy or girl name?

Jed is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Jed rising or falling?

Jed is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Jed become more popular?

Jed is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 86 boys named Jed in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Jed?

Well-known people named Jed include Jed Allan (actor), Jed Brophy (actor), Jed Steer (soccer player).

Names like Jed

Names that sound and feel close to Jed: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Jed with similar names → More names starting with J →