Total births
3,221
Girls' name · since 1968
Jenessa
3,221 babies named Jenessa in U.S. Social Security records since 1968, with the highest year being 1991. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #6236
- among girls today
- 3,221
- born since 1968
- 2000s
- peak decade
- 65%
- more common than other girls
Jenessa currently ranks #6236 among girls' names in America, with 3,221 babies recorded since 1968.
Jenessa has 3,221 recorded births among girls since 1968, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #6236 as of the latest data, more common than 65% of girls, busiest in the 2000s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1968 to 2025.
- #6236 among girls today
- 3,221 born since 1968
- 2000s peak decade
- 65% more common than other girls
Data updated Jul 2026
The verdict
Jenessa is currently the #6236 girls' name in America, more common than 65% of girls - 3,221 born since 1968, peaking in the 2000s.
- #6236
- among girls today
- 3,221
- born since 1968
- 2000s
- peak decade
- 65%
- more common than other girls
Jenessa vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#6236
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 65% of names given to girls today.
2000s
Peak decade
28% of everyone ever named Jenessa was born in this single decade.
1991
Single peak year
156 babies were named Jenessa in 1991 - its busiest year on record.
How Jenessa compares
3,221 Top 17% higher than 83% 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
Jenessa's all-time total is 8x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Jenessa | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 3,221 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 156 | 48 | 19,840 |
Jenessa's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Jenessa's full recorded timeline at 1998, 54% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 46% in the earlier half -- a fairly even split across the full record. Its quietest year on record was 1970, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1991 peak of 156 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Jenessa at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1991
Current rank
#6,236
Active since
1968
Jenessa popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1968–2025
- Peak year (1991)
- 156
- Annual births at peak, across 58 years of records
Jenessa by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
2000s was Jenessa's strongest decade.
893 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 28% of all-time use.
Jenessa births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1960s 6
1960s
6 births
- 1970s 147
1970s
147 births
- 1980s
1980s
614 births
- 1990s
1990s
858 births
- 2000s
2000s
893 births
- 2010s
2010s
581 births
- 2020s 122
2020s
122 births
What this shows Peak: 2000s at 893 births (28% of all-time use).
How Jenessa 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 Jenessa's total volume
Jenessa vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Jenessa by state
Where Jenessa concentrates geographically, total births since 1968
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 595 | 18.5% |
| #2 | Texas | | 150 | 4.7% |
| #3 | Utah | | 131 | 4.1% |
| #4 | Florida | | 71 | 2.2% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 69 | 2.1% |
| #6 | Washington | | 54 | 1.7% |
| #7 | Minnesota | | 47 | 1.5% |
| #8 | New York | | 43 | 1.3% |
California share of Jenessa's total US births 18.5%
Even split
595 of 3,221 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 18 reporting states.
Jenessa appears in 18 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Jenessa? ▼
Jenessa has been given to 3,221 babies in the U.S. since 1968, according to SSA data. Among girls, it ranks #6236 as of the latest data. 156 babies were born in 1991, its single highest year.
When was Jenessa most popular? ▼
Jenessa was most popular in the 2000s decade with 893 total births. The single peak year was 1991.
Where is Jenessa most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Jenessa are California (595 births), Texas (150 births), Utah (131 births).
How long has the name Jenessa been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Jenessa since 1968 -- 58 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Jenessa? ▼
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 Jenessa's data
- Jenessa's decade-level peak was the 2000s (893 total births); usage has since declined to 122 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Jenessas (595 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 Jenessa
Nearby Names Like Jenessa
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Jenessa
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 Jenessa side by side: Jenessa vs Jennifer Jenessa vs Jenna Jenessa vs Jennie
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Jenessa
Data Sources
Data as of July 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, 1968–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Jenessa: #6236 Girls' Name - 3,221 Births, Peak 1991." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/jenessa. 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 Jenessa 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 July 2026.