boys' name ★ peaked 1954

Jerome

Gender Boy · 1% girls Rank 2025 #1,257 Trend ↓ Falling 28%

From the Old French vernacular form of the saint's name Hieronymus, from Ancient Greek Ἱερώνυμος (Hierṓnumos).

Rank 2025
#1,257
among boys · ↑66 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
158
named Jerome · +8% vs 2024
How common
1 in 10,811
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1954
3,129 babies
All-time total
162,296
#211 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Jerome popularity over time

162,296 babies have been named Jerome since 1880, 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
0.631.251.882.518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
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 – 426 426 43 – #226
1890s – 551 551 55 +29% #203
1900s – 972 972 97 +76% #174
1910s 74 7,405 7,479 748 +669% #133
1920s 131 15,453 15,584 1,558 +108% #110
1930s 113 18,965 19,078 1,908 +22% #93
1940s 110 23,110 23,220 2,322 +22% #95
1950s 175 29,705 29,880 2,988 +29% #103
1960s 172 22,295 22,467 2,247 -25% #128
1970s 154 14,783 14,937 1,494 -34% #160
1980s 122 12,187 12,309 1,231 -18% #178
1990s 11 7,231 7,242 724 -41% #264
2000s – 4,264 4,264 426 -41% #488
2010s – 2,817 2,817 282 -34% #708
2020s (to 2025) – 1,070 1,070 178 -37% #1,002

Where Jerome 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 149 0.09 outside top 500
2027 142 0.08 outside top 500
2028 137 0.08 outside top 500
2029 132 0.08 outside top 500
2030 128 0.08 outside top 500

Where Jerome is most popular

Boys named Jerome per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.099 per 1,000. Strongest in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and South Carolina.

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 Jerome 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
Minnesota 26 0.212 +113%
Wisconsin 20 0.169 +70%
South Carolina 16 0.155 +56%
Pennsylvania 41 0.154 +55%
Nebraska 6 0.138 +39%
Illinois 35 0.137 +38%
Missouri 18 0.130 +31%
Ohio 34 0.128 +29%
New York 49 0.113 +14%
Oklahoma 10 0.113 +14%
Indiana 17 0.106 +7%
Michigan 21 0.103 ≈ national
Florida 48 0.101 ≈ national
Tennessee 18 0.100 ≈ national
Georgia 22 0.087 -13%
Washington 12 0.073 -26%
Oregon 5 0.066 -34%
Texas 56 0.064 -36%
California 56 0.061 -38%
Louisiana 6 0.059 -41%
New Jersey 11 0.055 -45%
Maryland 6 0.050 -49%
Alabama 5 0.046 -54%
Massachusetts 6 0.044 -56%
Virginia 6 0.032 -68%
Arizona 5 0.031 -69%
North Carolina 5 0.020 -80%
Alaska – – –
Arkansas – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Maine – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Utah – – –
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 Jerome

Jerome is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #1,257 in 2025 with 158 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 162,296 American babies have been named Jerome. Its peak came in 1954, when 3,129 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1950s.

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

How old are people named Jerome?

The median living Jerome is about 60 years old; half are between 43 and 71. An estimated 96 thousand people named Jerome are alive in the United States today.

median 60 020406080100

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

Jerome 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 – – 158 #1,257
2024 – – 146 #1,323
2023 – – 186 #1,135
2022 – – 181 #1,148
2021 – – 188 #1,105
2020 – – 211 #1,002
2019 – – 242 #912
2018 – – 252 #869
2017 – – 255 #858
2016 – – 270 #838
2015 – – 269 #837
2014 – – 287 #802
2013 – – 294 #767
2012 – – 336 #708
2011 – – 306 #742
2010 – – 306 #742
2009 – – 359 #677
2008 – – 400 #619
2007 – – 417 #603
2006 – – 429 #578
2005 – – 429 #556
2004 – – 414 #554
2003 – – 412 #547
2002 – – 472 #488
2001 – – 470 #488
2000 – – 462 #494
1995 – – 644 #371
1990 – – 1,019 #264
1985 12 #5,804 1,211 #200
1980 11 #6,076 1,385 #178
1975 11 #5,283 1,437 #165
1970 21 #3,151 1,724 #168
1965 11 #4,049 2,143 #142
1960 28 #2,218 2,676 #133
1955 23 #2,303 3,083 #112
1950 7 #4,506 2,830 #103
1945 7 #3,814 1,840 #122
1940 11 #2,641 2,178 #95
1935 12 #2,497 2,008 #96
1930 13 #2,482 1,768 #105
1925 11 #3,032 1,563 #113
1920 12 #2,808 1,285 #126
1915 9 #3,000 907 #140
1910 – – 196 #159
1905 – – 87 #199
1900 – – 85 #213
1895 – – 58 #230
1890 – – 64 #205
1885 – – 53 #226
1880 – – 52 #229

Famous people named Jerome

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

  1. 1 Jerome Powell Jerome Powell American financier (born 1953) Contemporary
  2. 2 Jerome Flynn Jerome Flynn English actor and singer (born 1963) Contemporary
  3. 3 Jerome Jerome Priest and theologian (c. 342/347 – 420) 345–420 · Antiquity
  4. 4 Jerome Robbins Jerome Robbins American choreographer and director (1918–1998) Contemporary
  5. 5 Jerome Kern Jerome Kern American composer (1885–1945) 19th century
  6. 6 Jerome K. Jerome Jerome K. Jerome English writer and humorist (1859–1927) 19th century
  7. 7 Jerome Bruner Jerome Bruner American psychologist and scholar (1915–2016) Contemporary
  8. 8 Jerome Kersey Jerome Kersey American basketball player (1962–2015) Contemporary
  9. 9 Jerome Sinclair Jerome Sinclair English footballer (born 1996) Contemporary
  10. 10 Jerome Thomas Jerome Thomas English footballer b. 1983 · Contemporary
  11. 11 Jerome Isaac Friedman Jerome Isaac Friedman American physicist (born 1930) Contemporary
  12. 12 Jerome of Prague Jerome of Prague 14/15th-century Czech reformist theologian and scholastic philosopher 1379–1416 · Medieval
  13. 13 Jerome Apt Jerome Apt American astronaut, scientist, and professor (born 1949) Contemporary
  14. 14 Jerome Karle Jerome Karle American physical chemist (1918–2013) Contemporary
  15. 15 Jerome Damon Association football referee from South Africa b. 1972 · Contemporary
  16. 16 Jerome Biffle Jerome Biffle American athlete 1928–2002 · Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Jerome?

The median living Jerome is about 60 years old. Half of all living Jeromes are between 43 and 71 years old.

How many people named Jerome are alive today?

An estimated 96 thousand people named Jerome are alive in the United States, based on 162,296 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Jerome mean?

From the Old French vernacular form of the saint's name Hieronymus, from Ancient Greek Ἱερώνυμος (Hierṓnumos).

How popular is the name Jerome in 2025?

Jerome ranked #1,257 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 158 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Jerome?

162,296 babies have been named Jerome in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Jerome most popular?

Jerome peaked in 1954, when 3,129 newborns received the name.

Is Jerome a boy or girl name?

Jerome is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 99% of babies with the name.

Is the name Jerome rising or falling?

Jerome is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Jerome become more popular?

Jerome is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 128 boys named Jerome 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 Jerome?

Well-known people named Jerome include Jerome Powell (politician), Jerome Flynn (singer), Jerome (religious figure).

Names like Jerome

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

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