Girls' name · since 1917
Jenelle
Since 1917, U.S. Social Security records show 7,204 babies named Jenelle, peaking in 1981. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #2,039 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #6,141 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 7,204
- born since 1917
- 1980s
- peak decade
Yes -- Jenelle is the #6141 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 7,204 recorded since 1917.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Jenelle has been recorded 7,204 times among girls since 1917, currently ranked #6141 nationally and more common than 64% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 1980s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1917 to 2025.
- #2,039 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #6,141 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 7,204 born since 1917
- 1980s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Jenelle ranks #2,039 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #6,141 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 7,204 born since 1917, peaking in the 1980s.
- #2,039 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #6,141 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 7,204
- born since 1917
- 1980s
- peak decade
Jenelle's 7,204 recorded births place it above 97.18% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
25 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Jenelle compares
7,204 Top 11% higher than 89% of 17,297 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Jenelle's all-time total is 19x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Jenelle | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 7,204 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 253 | 21 | 19,840 |
Jenelle's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Jenelle's SSA record in two at 1972 and the more recent half accounts for 84% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 16%, consistent with a name still gaining ground rather than fading. Its calmest year was 1917, with only 6 births recorded -- set against the 1981 peak of 253, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Jenelle popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1917–2025
- Peak year (1981)
- 253
- Annual births at peak, across 109 years of records
Jenelle by decade
1980s is the heaviest window (2,106 births, 29% of the file).
1980s was Jenelle's strongest decade.
2,106 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 29% of all-time use.
Jenelle births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1910s 13
1910s
13 births
- 1920s 89
1920s
89 births
- 1930s 127
1930s
127 births
- 1940s 142
1940s
142 births
- 1950s 229
1950s
229 births
- 1960s 426
1960s
426 births
- 1970s
1970s
1,174 births
- 1980s
1980s
2,106 births
- 1990s
1990s
1,101 births
- 2000s 778
2000s
778 births
- 2010s 825
2010s
825 births
- 2020s 194
2020s
194 births
What this shows Peak: 1980s at 2,106 births (29% of all-time use).
How Jenelle compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Jenelle's total volume
Jenelle by state
Where Jenelle concentrates geographically, total births since 1917
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 1,188 | 16.5% |
| #2 | New York | | 679 | 9.4% |
| #3 | Pennsylvania | | 296 | 4.1% |
| #4 | Michigan | | 289 | 4.0% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 260 | 3.6% |
| #6 | Texas | | 257 | 3.6% |
| #7 | Florida | | 206 | 2.9% |
| #8 | Ohio | | 193 | 2.7% |
1,188 of 7,204 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 25 reporting states.
Jenelle appears in 25 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Jenelle? ▼
Where does Jenelle sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Jenelle most popular? ▼
Where is Jenelle most popular? ▼
How long has the name Jenelle been used? ▼
What names are similar to Jenelle? ▼
What to do with Jenelle's data
- Jenelle's decade-level peak was the 1980s (2,106 total births); usage has since declined to 194 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Jenelles (1,188 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Jenelle
Nearby Names Like Jenelle
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Jenelle
Compare Jenelle side by side: Jenelle vs Jennifer Jenelle vs Jenna Jenelle vs Jennie
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Jenelle
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Jenelle: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1981)
Similar record span (~108 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1917–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Jenelle draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.