boys' name ★ peaked 1947

Jerry

Gender Boy · 3% girls Rank 2025 #907 Trend ↓ Falling 34%

A diminutive of the male given names Gerald, Gerard, Jeremy, Jeremiah, Jared, Jerome, Jermaine, Jerrold, and similar male given names.

Rank 2025
#907
among boys · ↓41 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
262
named Jerry · -6% vs 2024
How common
1 in 6,519
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1947
19,263 babies
All-time total
632,416
#52 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Jerry popularity over time

632,416 babies have been named Jerry 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
3.757.511.251518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
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 – 1,106 1,106 111 – #99
1890s 7 1,140 1,147 115 +4% #125
1900s 120 1,636 1,756 176 +53% #113
1910s 787 6,486 7,273 727 +314% #131
1920s 2,177 17,449 19,626 1,963 +170% #61
1930s 4,151 80,690 84,841 8,484 +332% #16
1940s 4,981 167,257 172,238 17,224 +103% #14
1950s 2,528 136,567 139,095 13,910 -19% #24
1960s 1,234 93,544 94,778 9,478 -32% #37
1970s 730 48,351 49,081 4,908 -48% #45
1980s 394 25,755 26,149 2,615 -47% #94
1990s 150 16,577 16,727 1,673 -36% #146
2000s 49 10,646 10,695 1,070 -36% #261
2010s 6 5,918 5,924 592 -45% #384
2020s (to 2025) – 1,980 1,980 330 -44% #601

Where Jerry 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 246 0.14 outside top 500
2027 233 0.14 outside top 500
2028 223 0.13 outside top 500
2029 215 0.13 outside top 500
2030 208 0.12 outside top 500

Where Jerry is most popular

Boys named Jerry per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.176 per 1,000. Strongest in Arkansas, Indiana, and Mississippi.

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 Jerry 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
Arkansas 29 0.458 +160%
Indiana 70 0.437 +148%
Mississippi 24 0.422 +140%
Oklahoma 33 0.373 +112%
Missouri 48 0.346 +96%
Alabama 35 0.320 +82%
South Carolina 29 0.281 +59%
Louisiana 27 0.264 +50%
Kentucky 25 0.249 +41%
Tennessee 44 0.244 +38%
North Carolina 62 0.243 +38%
Wisconsin 26 0.219 +24%
Ohio 56 0.211 +20%
Florida 99 0.209 +19%
Virginia 37 0.195 +11%
Maryland 23 0.193 +9%
Georgia 48 0.189 +7%
Illinois 48 0.188 +7%
Texas 157 0.178 ≈ national
New York 74 0.171 ≈ national
Pennsylvania 43 0.162 -8%
Michigan 33 0.161 -9%
California 147 0.161 -9%
Iowa 11 0.160 -10%
West Virginia 5 0.153 -13%
Minnesota 17 0.139 -21%
New Jersey 19 0.094 -46%
Kansas 6 0.087 -50%
Arizona 14 0.086 -51%
Colorado 11 0.085 -52%
Washington 12 0.073 -58%
Massachusetts 5 0.036 -79%
Alaska – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Idaho – – –
Maine – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Utah – – –
Vermont – – –
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 Jerry

Jerry is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #907 in 2025 with 262 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 632,416 American babies have been named Jerry. Its peak came in 1947, when 19,263 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1940s.

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

How old are people named Jerry?

The median living Jerry is about 67 years old; half are between 54 and 76. An estimated 389 thousand people named Jerry are alive in the United States today.

median 67 020406080100

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

Jerry 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 – – 262 #907
2024 – – 279 #866
2023 – – 287 #848
2022 – – 341 #751
2021 – – 354 #729
2020 – – 457 #601
2019 – – 381 #676
2018 – – 455 #600
2017 6 #14,909 496 #554
2016 – – 597 #503
2015 – – 603 #488
2014 – – 656 #452
2013 – – 636 #449
2012 – – 620 #444
2011 – – 724 #393
2010 – – 750 #384
2009 – – 820 #370
2008 8 #13,127 1,049 #319
2007 – – 996 #322
2006 – – 1,010 #318
2005 5 #17,641 1,046 #315
2004 7 #13,375 1,088 #293
2003 6 #14,662 1,089 #286
2002 7 #12,793 1,041 #286
2001 6 #14,302 1,256 #261
2000 10 #9,478 1,251 #264
1995 16 #5,799 1,516 #200
1990 23 #4,292 2,186 #146
1985 48 #2,189 2,423 #116
1980 57 #1,893 3,189 #94
1975 74 #1,418 4,311 #65
1970 115 #1,063 7,422 #45
1965 114 #961 9,015 #41
1960 158 #829 11,835 #37
1955 218 #630 12,975 #33
1950 352 #430 15,261 #24
1945 414 #335 14,704 #20
1940 522 #272 15,213 #14
1935 414 #297 8,452 #22
1930 362 #347 3,891 #51
1925 232 #455 1,625 #107
1920 167 #553 1,043 #144
1915 80 #744 801 #147
1910 33 #746 251 #131
1905 12 #1,126 177 #121
1900 15 #995 205 #113
1895 – – 102 #152
1890 – – 103 #137
1885 – – 115 #119
1880 – – 136 #99

Famous people named Jerry

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

  1. 1 Jerry O'Connell Jerry O'Connell American actor and TV show host (born 1974) Contemporary
  2. 2 Jerry Seinfeld Jerry Seinfeld American comedian and actor (born 1954) Contemporary
  3. 3 Jerry Brudos Jerry Brudos American serial killer (1939–2006) Contemporary
  4. 4 Jerry Stiller Jerry Stiller American comedian and actor (1927–2020) Contemporary
  5. 5 Jerry Lee Lewis Jerry Lee Lewis American musician (1935–2022) Contemporary
  6. 6 Jerry Lewis Jerry Lewis American comedian, actor and filmmaker (1926–2017) Contemporary
  7. 7 Jerry Hall Jerry Hall American model and actress (born 1956) Contemporary
  8. 8 Jerry Van Dyke Jerry Van Dyke American actor and comedian (1931–2018) Contemporary
  9. 9 Jerry Springer Jerry Springer American TV personality and politician (1944–2023) Contemporary
  10. 10 Jerry West Jerry West American basketball player and executive (1938–2024) Contemporary
  11. 11 Jerry Brown Jerry Brown Governor of California (1975–1983; 2011–2019) b. 1938 · Contemporary
  12. 12 Jerry Orbach Jerry Orbach American actor and singer (1935–2004) Contemporary
  13. 13 Jerry Bruckheimer Jerry Bruckheimer American film and television producer (born 1943) Contemporary
  14. 14 Jerry Buss Jerry Buss American businessman and investor (1933–2013) Contemporary
  15. 15 Jerry Lawler Jerry Lawler American professional wrestler and color commentator (born 1949) Contemporary
  16. 16 Jerry Reed Jerry Reed American country singer, guitarist, songwriter and actor (1937–2008) Contemporary
  17. 17 Jerry Falwell Jerry Falwell American Baptist pastor, televangelist, and conservative activist (1933–2007) Contemporary
  18. 18 Jerry Goldsmith Jerry Goldsmith American film composer (1929–2004) Contemporary
  19. 19 Jerry Siegel Jerry Siegel American comic book writer (1914–1996) Contemporary
  20. 20 Jerry Rawlings Jerry Rawlings Leader of Ghana in 1979 and from 1981 to 2001 b. 1947 · Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Jerry?

The median living Jerry is about 67 years old. Half of all living Jerrys are between 54 and 76 years old.

How many people named Jerry are alive today?

An estimated 389 thousand people named Jerry are alive in the United States, based on 632,416 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Jerry mean?

A diminutive of the male given names Gerald, Gerard, Jeremy, Jeremiah, Jared, Jerome, Jermaine, Jerrold, and similar male given names.

How popular is the name Jerry in 2025?

Jerry ranked #907 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 262 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Jerry?

632,416 babies have been named Jerry in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Jerry most popular?

Jerry peaked in 1947, when 19,263 newborns received the name.

Is Jerry a boy or girl name?

Jerry is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 97% of babies with the name.

Is the name Jerry rising or falling?

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

Will Jerry become more popular?

Jerry is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 208 boys named Jerry 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 Jerry?

Well-known people named Jerry include Jerry O'Connell (actor), Jerry Seinfeld (comedian), Jerry Brudos (extremist).

Names like Jerry

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

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