boys' name ★ peaked 1981

Jesse

Meaning Jesse is a given name of Hebrew origin Gender Boy · 3% girls Rank 2025 #184 Trend → Stable

Jesse is a given name of Hebrew origin.

Rank 2025
#184
among boys · ↑1 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
2,074
named Jesse
How common
1 in 853
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1981
10,823 babies
All-time total
444,920
#77 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Jesse popularity over time

444,920 babies have been named Jesse 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
1.883.755.637.518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
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 92 6,003 6,095 610 – #26
1890s 126 5,396 5,522 552 -9% #33
1900s 140 4,559 4,699 470 -15% #49
1910s 314 16,293 16,607 1,661 +253% #60
1920s 440 23,170 23,610 2,361 +42% #77
1930s 264 18,930 19,194 1,919 -19% #94
1940s 215 24,336 24,551 2,455 +28% #93
1950s 266 26,655 26,921 2,692 +10% #112
1960s 330 22,605 22,935 2,294 -15% #128
1970s 1,133 44,886 46,019 4,602 +101% #50
1980s 3,111 85,908 89,019 8,902 +93% #37
1990s 3,235 73,791 77,026 7,703 -13% #45
2000s 1,660 43,393 45,053 4,505 -42% #89
2010s 763 24,903 25,666 2,567 -43% #124
2020s (to 2025) 403 11,600 12,003 2,001 -22% #184

Where Jesse 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 2,005 1.17 #182
2027 2,008 1.18 #181
2028 2,010 1.18 #181
2029 2,012 1.18 #181
2030 2,014 1.18 #181

Where Jesse is most popular

Boys named Jesse per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 1.12 per 1,000. Strongest in Montana, Wyoming, and Alaska.

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 Jesse 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
Montana 53 3.01 +167%
Wyoming 16 2.77 +146%
Alaska 31 2.60 +131%
South Dakota 47 2.53 +125%
Utah 184 1.93 +71%
West Virginia 61 1.87 +66%
Idaho 74 1.81 +61%
New Mexico 59 1.79 +59%
Arkansas 110 1.74 +55%
Oklahoma 153 1.73 +54%
Delaware 26 1.71 +52%
Nebraska 73 1.68 +49%
Arizona 270 1.65 +47%
Kentucky 162 1.61 +44%
Mississippi 91 1.60 +42%
Nevada 91 1.60 +42%
California 1,390 1.52 +35%
Hawaii 23 1.48 +32%
Ohio 392 1.48 +32%
Missouri 205 1.48 +32%
Oregon 112 1.48 +31%
North Dakota 25 1.46 +30%
Washington 232 1.42 +26%
Alabama 155 1.42 +26%
Colorado 183 1.42 +26%
Texas 1,203 1.37 +21%
Tennessee 246 1.36 +21%
Kansas 93 1.36 +21%
Indiana 216 1.35 +20%
North Carolina 340 1.33 +18%
Pennsylvania 349 1.31 +17%
Maryland 152 1.27 +13%
Michigan 256 1.25 +11%
South Carolina 129 1.25 +11%
Louisiana 124 1.21 +8%
Georgia 304 1.20 +7%
Iowa 81 1.17 ≈ national
Wisconsin 136 1.15 ≈ national
Virginia 217 1.14 ≈ national
Illinois 256 1.00 -11%
Rhode Island 16 0.981 -13%
New York 408 0.942 -16%
Massachusetts 127 0.924 -18%
New Hampshire 20 0.901 -20%
Florida 426 0.900 -20%
Maine 17 0.876 -22%
New Jersey 169 0.839 -25%
Connecticut 56 0.827 -26%
District of Columbia 11 0.745 -34%
Minnesota 83 0.677 -40%
Vermont – – –

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 Jesse

Jesse is moderately common for boys in the United States, ranked #184 in 2025 with 2,002 babies given the name. It is currently holding steady compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 444,920 American babies have been named Jesse. Its peak came in 1981, when 10,823 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1980s.

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

How old are people named Jesse?

The median living Jesse is about 37 years old; half are between 26 and 48. An estimated 339 thousand people named Jesse are alive in the United States today.

median 37 020406080100

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

Jesse 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 72 #2,471 2,002 #184
2024 73 #2,475 1,996 #185
2023 72 #2,477 1,828 #202
2022 52 #3,138 1,979 #192
2021 69 #2,544 1,908 #203
2020 65 #2,610 1,887 #203
2019 59 #2,838 1,979 #200
2018 82 #2,248 2,146 #186
2017 76 #2,390 2,106 #186
2016 67 #2,630 2,310 #174
2015 67 #2,666 2,357 #178
2014 73 #2,486 2,469 #172
2013 70 #2,546 2,571 #156
2012 80 #2,346 2,712 #150
2011 81 #2,309 2,973 #140
2010 108 #1,879 3,280 #124
2009 108 #1,941 3,688 #112
2008 120 #1,811 3,954 #110
2007 117 #1,818 4,130 #107
2006 122 #1,712 4,370 #102
2005 173 #1,295 4,746 #89
2004 181 #1,226 4,761 #94
2003 172 #1,231 4,606 #94
2002 190 #1,108 4,431 #90
2001 195 #1,087 4,222 #91
2000 282 #807 4,485 #90
1995 367 #608 7,495 #46
1990 347 #648 8,977 #48
1985 279 #654 8,221 #51
1980 293 #624 8,374 #45
1975 117 #1,030 4,435 #64
1970 52 #1,742 2,768 #119
1965 22 #2,635 2,212 #139
1960 34 #1,960 2,374 #150
1955 26 #2,135 2,786 #122
1950 28 #1,808 2,607 #114
1945 21 #1,852 2,186 #104
1940 25 #1,565 2,205 #93
1935 29 #1,370 1,865 #104
1930 28 #1,482 2,035 #94
1925 52 #1,056 2,373 #85
1920 36 #1,294 2,420 #79
1915 43 #1,019 2,111 #77
1910 11 #1,468 590 #60
1905 23 #769 443 #54
1900 10 #1,267 536 #50
1895 11 #1,016 577 #35
1890 10 #902 576 #33
1885 15 #564 556 #31
1880 5 #877 569 #28

Famous people named Jesse

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

  1. 1 Jesse Plemons Jesse Plemons American actor (born 1988) Contemporary
  2. 2 Jesse Jackson Jesse Jackson American minister, activist and politician (1941–2026) Contemporary
  3. 3 Jesse Ventura Jesse Ventura American wrestler, actor and politician (born 1951) Contemporary
  4. 4 Jesse Eisenberg Jesse Eisenberg American actor, playwright, and filmmaker (born 1983) Contemporary
  5. 5 Jesse Williams Jesse Williams American actor, director, producer (born 1980) b. 1981 · Contemporary
  6. 6 Jesse James Jesse James American outlaw (1847–1882) 19th century
  7. 7 Jesse Owens Jesse Owens American track and field athlete (1913–1980) Contemporary
  8. 8 Jesse Spencer Jesse Spencer Australian-American actor and musician (born 1979) Contemporary
  9. 9 Jesse McCartney Jesse McCartney American actor and singer (born 1987) Contemporary
  10. 10 Jesse Metcalfe Jesse Metcalfe American actor (born 1978) Contemporary
  11. 11 Jesse Jane Jesse Jane American pornographic actress (1980–2024) Contemporary
  12. 12 Jesse Tyler Ferguson Jesse Tyler Ferguson American actor (born 1975) Contemporary
  13. 13 Jesse Lee Soffer American actor b. 1984 · Contemporary
  14. 14 Jesse Bradford Jesse Bradford American actor (born 1979) Contemporary
  15. 15 Jesse L. Martin Jesse L. Martin American actor (born 1969) Contemporary
  16. 16 Jesse Helms Jesse Helms American politician (1921–2008) Contemporary
  17. 17 Jesse Hughes Jesse Hughes American musician b. 1972 · Contemporary
  18. 18 Jesse James American actor (born 1989) Contemporary
  19. 19 Jesse Carmichael Jesse Carmichael American musician (born 1979) Contemporary
  20. 20 Jesse Moss Jesse Moss Canadian actor (born 1983) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Jesse?

The median living Jesse is about 37 years old. Half of all living Jesses are between 26 and 48 years old.

How many people named Jesse are alive today?

An estimated 339 thousand people named Jesse are alive in the United States, based on 444,920 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Jesse mean?

Jesse is a given name of Hebrew origin.

How popular is the name Jesse in 2025?

Jesse ranked #184 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 2,002 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Jesse?

444,920 babies have been named Jesse in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Jesse most popular?

Jesse peaked in 1981, when 10,823 newborns received the name.

Is Jesse a boy or girl name?

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

Is the name Jesse rising or falling?

Jesse has been roughly stable over the past decade.

Will Jesse become more popular?

Jesse looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 2,014 boys named Jesse in 2030, ranking around #181. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Jesse?

Well-known people named Jesse include Jesse Plemons (actor), Jesse Jackson (social activist), Jesse Ventura (politician).

Names like Jesse

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

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