Total births
25,063
Boys' name · since 1880
Jess
25,063 babies named Jess in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1915. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #4571
- among boys today
- 25,063
- born since 1880
- 1910s
- peak decade
- 68%
- more common than other boys
25,063 babies have been named Jess since 1880, making it today's #4571 boys' name.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Jess has been recorded 25,063 times among boys since 1880, currently ranked #4571 nationally and more common than 68% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 1910s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #4571 among boys today
- 25,063 born since 1880
- 1910s peak decade
- 68% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Jess is currently the #4571 boys' name in America, more common than 68% of boys - 25,063 born since 1880, peaking in the 1910s.
- #4571
- among boys today
- 25,063
- born since 1880
- 1910s
- peak decade
- 68%
- more common than other boys
Jess vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#4571
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 68% of names given to boys today.
1910s
Peak decade
12% of everyone ever named Jess was born in this single decade.
1915
Single peak year
577 babies were named Jess in 1915 - its busiest year on record.
How Jess compares
25,063 Top 5% higher than 95% of 14,294 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys 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
Jess's all-time total is 68x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Jess | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 25,063 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 577 | 23 | 22,252 |
Jess's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Jess's SSA record in two at 1953 and the more recent half accounts for 48% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 52%, a genuinely balanced usage pattern. Its calmest year was 2022, with only 17 births recorded -- set against the 1915 peak of 577, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Jess at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1915
Current rank
#4,571
Active since
1880
Jess popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1915)
- 577
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Jess popularity over time - girls
487 total births recorded since 1884 (Jess as girls' name)
Jess by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1910s was Jess's strongest decade.
2,974 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 12% of all-time use.
Jess births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 1,182
1880s
1,182 births
- 1890s 1,013
1890s
1,013 births
- 1900s 897
1900s
897 births
- 1910s
1910s
2,974 births
- 1920s
1920s
2,653 births
- 1930s
1930s
1,699 births
- 1940s
1940s
1,998 births
- 1950s
1950s
2,447 births
- 1960s
1960s
2,315 births
- 1970s
1970s
2,781 births
- 1980s
1980s
2,565 births
- 1990s
1990s
1,424 births
- 2000s 681
2000s
681 births
- 2010s 305
2010s
305 births
- 2020s 129
2020s
129 births
What this shows Peak: 1910s at 2,974 births (12% of all-time use).
How Jess compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Jess's total volume
Jess vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Jess by state
Where Jess concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 3,724 | 14.9% |
| #2 | Texas | | 1,536 | 6.1% |
| #3 | Oklahoma | | 1,140 | 4.5% |
| #4 | Ohio | | 765 | 3.1% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 629 | 2.5% |
| #6 | Missouri | | 623 | 2.5% |
| #7 | Tennessee | | 551 | 2.2% |
| #8 | Pennsylvania | | 544 | 2.2% |
California share of Jess's total US births 14.9%
Even split
3,724 of 25,063 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 43 reporting states.
Jess appears in 43 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Jess? ▼
Jess has been given to 25,063 babies in the U.S. since 1880, according to SSA data. Among boys, it ranks #4571 as of the latest data. 577 babies were born in 1915, its single highest year.
When was Jess most popular? ▼
Jess was most popular in the 1910s decade with 2,974 total births. The single peak year was 1915.
Where is Jess most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Jess are California (3,724 births), Texas (1,536 births), Oklahoma (1,140 births).
How long has the name Jess been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Jess since 1880 -- 146 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Jess? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Jesse, Jesus, Jessie, Jessy, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Jess's data
- Jess's decade-level peak was the 1910s (2,974 total births); usage has since declined to 129 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Jesss (3,724 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 Jess
Nearby Names Like Jess
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Jess
Jesse Boy
#185 432,428 births
Jesus Boy
#164 244,281 births
Jessie Boy
#1262 111,331 births
Jessy Boy
#5089 4,670 births
Jesiah Boy
#804 4,394 births
Compare Jess side by side: Jess vs Jesse Jess vs Jesus Jess vs Jessie
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Jess
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, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Jess: #4571 Boys' Name - 25,063 Births, Peak 1915." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/jess. 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 Jess 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.