Baby Names US
Unisex name ★ peaked 2023

Jelani

Gender Unisex · 17% girls Rank 2025 #2,156 Trend ↑ Rising 16%
Rank 2025
#2,156
among boys · ↓400 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
134
named Jelani · -26% vs 2024
How common
1 in 25,494
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2023
218 babies
All-time total
5,660
#1,851 all-time among boys
First recorded
1973
in Social Security records

Jelani popularity over time

5,660 babies have been named Jelani since 1973, 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
0.030.050.080.118801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
BoysGirls

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 Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – – – –
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – – – – – –
1910s – – – – – –
1920s – – – – – –
1930s – – – – – –
1940s – – – – – –
1950s – – – – – –
1960s – – – – – –
1970s 6 387 393 39 – #1,032
1980s 29 548 577 58 +47% #1,073
1990s 142 1,101 1,243 124 +115% #935
2000s 148 1,161 1,309 131 +5% #1,021
2010s 198 909 1,107 111 -15% #1,479
2020s (to 2025) 419 612 1,031 172 +55% #1,405

Where Jelani 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 67 0.04 outside top 500
2027 68 0.04 outside top 500
2028 68 0.04 outside top 500
2029 69 0.04 outside top 500
2030 69 0.04 outside top 500

Where Jelani is most popular

Boys named Jelani per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.061 per 1,000. Strongest in Georgia, New York, and Ohio.

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 Jelani 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
Georgia 60 0.237 +291%
New York 43 0.099 +64%
Ohio 21 0.079 +31%
North Carolina 20 0.078 +29%
Illinois 15 0.059 ≈ national
Virginia 11 0.058 ≈ national
Florida 25 0.053 -13%
Texas 45 0.051 -16%
Maryland 6 0.050 -17%
Michigan 10 0.049 -19%
Washington 7 0.043 -29%
California 31 0.034 -44%
Indiana 5 0.031 -49%
Tennessee 5 0.028 -54%
Pennsylvania 7 0.026 -56%
New Jersey 5 0.025 -59%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maine – – –
Minnesota – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Utah – – –
Vermont – – –
Wisconsin – – –
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 Jelani

Jelani is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #2,156 in 2025 with 67 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1973, 5,660 American babies have been named Jelani, about 83% boys and 17% girls, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 2023, when 218 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2020s.

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 Jelani stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Jelani?

The median living Jelani is about 21 years old; half are between 8 and 31. An estimated 5,500 people named Jelani are alive in the United States today.

median 21 020406080100

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

Jelani year by year

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

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 67 #2,595 67 #2,156
2024 88 #2,160 94 #1,756
2023 87 #2,186 131 #1,405
2022 84 #2,235 129 #1,423
2021 52 #3,135 102 #1,639
2020 41 #3,653 89 #1,738
2019 40 #3,749 90 #1,740
2018 30 #4,613 84 #1,813
2017 34 #4,258 100 #1,607
2016 23 #5,706 99 #1,623
2015 16 #7,421 90 #1,725
2014 10 #10,497 69 #2,049
2013 10 #10,581 80 #1,803
2012 13 #8,852 87 #1,733
2011 13 #8,857 110 #1,479
2010 9 #11,687 100 #1,580
2009 14 #8,638 103 #1,580
2008 13 #9,204 99 #1,600
2007 13 #9,237 84 #1,763
2006 13 #8,942 114 #1,397
2005 14 #8,081 103 #1,438
2004 12 #8,938 128 #1,199
2003 25 #5,014 130 #1,156
2002 15 #7,212 133 #1,102
2001 16 #6,767 124 #1,131
2000 13 #7,767 143 #1,021
1995 15 #6,087 112 #1,065
1990 5 #13,883 82 #1,212
1985 – – 38 #1,655
1980 6 #9,556 71 #1,073
1975 6 #8,393 46 #1,269
1970 – – – –
1965 – – – –
1960 – – – –
1955 – – – –
1950 – – – –
1945 – – – –
1940 – – – –
1935 – – – –
1930 – – – –
1925 – – – –
1920 – – – –
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Jelani?

The median living Jelani is about 21 years old. Half of all living Jelanis are between 8 and 31 years old.

How many people named Jelani are alive today?

An estimated 5,500 people named Jelani are alive in the United States, based on 5,660 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

How popular is the name Jelani in 2025?

Jelani ranked #2,156 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 67 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Jelani?

5,660 babies have been named Jelani in the United States since 1973, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Jelani most popular?

Jelani peaked in 2023, when 218 newborns received the name.

Is Jelani a boy or girl name?

Jelani is used for both: about 17% of babies named Jelani have been girls and 83% boys.

Is the name Jelani rising or falling?

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

Will Jelani become more popular?

Jelani looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 69 boys named Jelani in 2030, ranking outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Names like Jelani

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

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