Jessa: Name Popularity, History & Rankings (1880

Rank 2025

#2,225

among girls · ↓190 vs 2024

Babies in 2025

named Jessa · -14% vs 2024

How common

1 in 19,365

girls born in 2025

Peak year

2015

572 babies

All-time total

6,467

#2,187 all-time among girls

First recorded

1918

in Social Security records

Jessa popularity over time

6,467 babies have been named Jessa since 1918, 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

GirlsBoys

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	5	–	5	1	–	#5,191
1920s	–	5	5	1	0%	–
1930s	–	–	–	–	–	–
1940s	–	–	–	–	–	–
1950s	–	–	–	–	–	–
1960s	–	–	–	–	–	–
1970s	148	–	148	15	–	#2,490
1980s	428	–	428	43	+189%	#2,001
1990s	960	–	960	96	+124%	#1,420
2000s	1,168	–	1,168	117	+22%	#1,255
2010s	3,007	–	3,007	301	+157%	#545
2020s (to 2025)	746	–	746	124	-59%	#1,286

Where Jessa is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (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 girls	Implied rank
2026	73	0.05	outside top 500
2027	66	0.04	outside top 500
2028	60	0.04	outside top 500
2029	56	0.03	outside top 500
2030	53	0.03	outside top 500

Where Jessa is most popular

Girls named Jessa per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.071 per 1,000. Strongest in Ohio, Florida, and Texas.

Vs national average

well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are girls named Jessa 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	Girls 2021–2025	Per 1,000	vs national
Ohio	23	0.097	+36%
Florida	40	0.093	+31%
Texas	70	0.087	+22%
Iowa	5	0.086	+20%
Georgia	16	0.070	≈ national
Colorado	7	0.063	-12%
Michigan	11	0.060	-15%
Kentucky	5	0.058	-18%
Wisconsin	6	0.058	-18%
Missouri	7	0.058	-19%
California	45	0.054	-25%
Tennessee	8	0.050	-29%
Indiana	5	0.036	-50%
Washington	5	0.035	-51%
New York	13	0.033	-54%
Illinois	5	0.022	-69%
Pennsylvania	5	0.021	-70%
Alaska	–	–	–
Alabama	–	–	–
Arkansas	–	–	–
Arizona	–	–	–
Connecticut	–	–	–
District of Columbia	–	–	–
Delaware	–	–	–
Hawaii	–	–	–
Idaho	–	–	–
Kansas	–	–	–
Louisiana	–	–	–
Massachusetts	–	–	–
Maryland	–	–	–
Maine	–	–	–
Minnesota	–	–	–
Mississippi	–	–	–
Montana	–	–	–
North Carolina	–	–	–
North Dakota	–	–	–
Nebraska	–	–	–
New Hampshire	–	–	–
New Jersey	–	–	–
New Mexico	–	–	–
Nevada	–	–	–
Oklahoma	–	–	–
Oregon	–	–	–
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 Jessa

Jessa is rare for girls in the United States, ranked #2,225 in 2025 with 83 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1918, 6,467 American babies have been named Jessa. Its peak came in 2015, when 572 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2010s.

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

How old are people named Jessa?

The median living Jessa is about 13 years old; half are between 9 and 24. An estimated 6,400 people named Jessa are alive in the United States today.

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

Jessa 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	83	#2,225	–	–
2024	96	#2,035	–	–
2023	99	#1,991	–	–
2022	122	#1,713	–	–
2021	179	#1,286	–	–
2020	167	#1,325	–	–
2019	187	#1,248	–	–
2018	242	#1,059	–	–
2017	314	#872	–	–
2016	433	#676	–	–
2015	572	#545	–	–
2014	332	#835	–	–
2013	208	#1,157	–	–
2012	255	#989	–	–
2011	222	#1,113	–	–
2010	242	#1,033	–	–
2009	196	#1,255	–	–
2008	124	#1,780	–	–
2007	145	#1,566	–	–
2006	138	#1,569	–	–
2005	90	#2,079	–	–
2004	116	#1,672	–	–
2003	92	#1,977	–	–
2002	78	#2,152	–	–
2001	98	#1,810	–	–
2000	91	#1,875	–	–
1995	103	#1,516	–	–
1990	85	#1,724	–	–
1985	45	#2,264	–	–
1980	39	#2,454	–	–
1975	9	#6,152	–	–
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 Jessa, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Jessa?

The median living Jessa is about 13 years old. Half of all living Jessas are between 9 and 24 years old.

How many people named Jessa are alive today?

An estimated 6,400 people named Jessa are alive in the United States, based on 6,467 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Jessa mean?

20th-century coinage from Jessie + feminine suffix -a; compare Jenna from Jenny.

How popular is the name Jessa in 2025?

Jessa ranked #2,225 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 83 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Jessa?

6,467 babies have been named Jessa in the United States since 1918, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Jessa most popular?

Jessa peaked in 2015, when 572 newborns received the name.

Is Jessa a boy or girl name?

Jessa is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Jessa rising or falling?

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

Will Jessa become more popular?

Jessa is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 53 girls named Jessa in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Names like Jessa

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

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