Total births
7,204
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.
- #6675
- among girls today
- 7,204
- born since 1917
- 1980s
- peak decade
- 62%
- more common than other girls
Yes -- Jenelle is the #6675 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 #6675 nationally and more common than 62% 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.
- #6675 among girls today
- 7,204 born since 1917
- 1980s peak decade
- 62% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Jenelle is currently the #6675 girls' name in America, more common than 62% of girls - 7,204 born since 1917, peaking in the 1980s.
- #6675
- among girls today
- 7,204
- born since 1917
- 1980s
- peak decade
- 62%
- more common than other girls
Jenelle vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#6675
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 62% of names given to girls today.
1980s
Peak decade
29% of everyone ever named Jenelle was born in this single decade.
1981
Single peak year
253 babies were named Jenelle in 1981 - its busiest year on record.
How Jenelle compares
7,204 Top 11% higher than 89% of 17,726 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 (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 7,204 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 253 | 48 | 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 at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1981
Current rank
#6,675
Active since
1917
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
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
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 vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
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% |
California share of Jenelle's total US births 16.5%
Even split
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? ▼
Since 1917, Social Security records show 7,204 babies named Jenelle. Today it holds rank #6675 among girls. Its busiest year on record was 1981, with 253 births.
When was Jenelle most popular? ▼
Jenelle was most popular in the 1980s decade with 2,106 total births. The single peak year was 1981.
Where is Jenelle most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Jenelle are California (1,188 births), New York (679 births), Pennsylvania (296 births).
How long has the name Jenelle been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Jenelle since 1917 -- 109 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Jenelle? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Jennifer, Jenna, Jennie, Jenny, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
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
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare 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
Jennifer Girl
#546 1,471,703 births
Jenna Girl
#683 148,587 births
Jennie Girl
#1753 127,181 births
Jenny Girl
#1391 92,101 births
Jenifer Girl
#5637 25,551 births
Compare Jenelle side by side: Jenelle vs Jennifer Jenelle vs Jenna Jenelle vs Jennie
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Jenelle
Data Sources
Data as of June 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).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Jenelle: #6675 Girls' Name - 7,204 Births, Peak 1981." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/jenelle. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
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 June 2026.