# Jess (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/jess/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | boys |
| Origin | not recorded |
| Meaning | not recorded |
| Pronunciation | /d͡ʒɛs/, 1 syllable |
| Nicknames | none recorded |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |
| US babies named this | 25,550 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 25,063 / 487 (2% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 649, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

Clipping of Jesse, Jessica, or Jessamy.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 8 | 12,343 |
| 2006 | 10 | 10,967 |
| 2007 | 15 | 8,287 |
| 2008 | 10 | 11,160 |
| 2011 | 5 | 18,013 |
| 2013 | 7 | 13,816 |
| 2014 | 5 | 17,715 |
| 2017 | 5 | 17,007 |
| 2019 | 7 | 13,040 |
| 2020 | 5 | 16,197 |
| 2021 | 6 | 14,252 |
| 2022 | 8 | 11,662 |
| 2023 | 10 | 9,918 |
| 2024 | 7 | 12,732 |
| 2025 | 10 | 9,747 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 37 | 3,078 |
| 2012 | 33 | 3,330 |
| 2013 | 28 | 3,700 |
| 2014 | 32 | 3,416 |
| 2015 | 35 | 3,271 |
| 2016 | 30 | 3,638 |
| 2017 | 22 | 4,529 |
| 2018 | 33 | 3,411 |
| 2019 | 23 | 4,403 |
| 2020 | 22 | 4,483 |
| 2021 | 25 | 4,164 |
| 2022 | 17 | 5,526 |
| 2023 | 25 | 4,270 |
| 2024 | 22 | 4,629 |
| 2025 | 18 | 5,299 |

### England and Wales, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 17 | 1,596 |
| 2010 | 22 | 1,389 |
| 2011 | 14 | 1,903 |
| 2012 | 17 | 1,720 |
| 2013 | 16 | 1,774 |
| 2014 | 14 | 1,966 |
| 2015 | 15 | 1,865 |
| 2016 | 16 | 1,834 |
| 2017 | 13 | 2,090 |
| 2018 | 9 | 2,674 |
| 2019 | 10 | 2,458 |
| 2020 | 6 | 3,447 |
| 2021 | 4 | 4,634 |
| 2022 | 3 | 5,669 |
| 2024 | 3 | 5,891 |

### England and Wales, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 14 | 1,000 |
| 1999 | 18 | 869 |
| 2000 | 17 | 918 |
| 2001 | 15 | 1,027 |
| 2002 | 4 | 2,636 |
| 2003 | 8 | 1,771 |
| 2004 | 13 | 1,347 |
| 2005 | 7 | 2,174 |
| 2006 | 6 | 2,538 |
| 2007 | 8 | 2,211 |
| 2008 | 4 | 3,687 |
| 2009 | 4 | 3,744 |
| 2011 | 5 | 3,300 |
| 2012 | 5 | 3,416 |
| 2025 | 3 | 5,137 |

## People named Jess

- Jess Glynne, British singer (born 1989)
- Jess Wade, British physicist, Wikimedian, and campaigner for gender inclusion in science
- Jess Harnell, American voice actor
- Jess Willard, American boxer (1881–1968)
- Jess Thorup, Danish association football player and manager
- Jessica Carter, English association football player (born 1997)
- Jess Phillips, British politician (born 1981)
- Jess Barker, American actor (1912-2000)
- Jess Weixler, American actress
- Jess Cliffe, American computer game designer
- Jess Thomas, American opera singer
- Jess Bush, Australian actress and artist

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.