Total births
432,428
Boys' name · since 1880
Jesse
432,428 babies named Jesse in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1981. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #185
- among boys today
- 432,428
- born since 1880
- 1980s
- peak decade
- 99%
- more common than other boys
Jesse currently ranks #185 among boys' names in America, with 432,428 babies recorded since 1880.
Social Security Administration records show Jesse recorded 432,428 times among boys since 1880, holding rank #185 nationally today, ahead of 99% of boys, peaking in the 1980s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #185 among boys today
- 432,428 born since 1880
- 1980s peak decade
- 99% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Jesse is currently the #185 boys' name in America, more common than 99% of boys - 432,428 born since 1880, peaking in the 1980s.
- #185
- among boys today
- 432,428
- born since 1880
- 1980s
- peak decade
- 99%
- more common than other boys
Jesse vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#185
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 99% of names given to boys today.
1980s
Peak decade
20% of everyone ever named Jesse was born in this single decade.
1981
Single peak year
10,443 babies were named Jesse in 1981 - its busiest year on record.
How Jesse compares
432,428 Top 1% higher than 99% 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
Jesse's all-time total is 1,178x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Jesse | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 432,428 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 10,443 | 23 | 22,252 |
Jesse's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Jesse's full recorded timeline at 1953, 75% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 25% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1903, with just 388 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1981 peak of 10,443 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Jesse at a glance
Top 1,000 boys' namePeak year
1981
Current rank
#185
Active since
1880
Jesse popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1981)
- 10,443
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Jesse popularity over time - girls
12,492 total births recorded since 1880 (Jesse as girls' name)
Jesse by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1980s was Jesse's strongest decade.
85,908 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 20% of all-time use.
Jesse births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 6,003
1880s
6,003 births
- 1890s 5,396
1890s
5,396 births
- 1900s 4,559
1900s
4,559 births
- 1910s 16,293
1910s
16,293 births
- 1920s 23,170
1920s
23,170 births
- 1930s 18,930
1930s
18,930 births
- 1940s 24,336
1940s
24,336 births
- 1950s 26,655
1950s
26,655 births
- 1960s 22,605
1960s
22,605 births
- 1970s
1970s
44,886 births
- 1980s
1980s
85,908 births
- 1990s
1990s
73,791 births
- 2000s
2000s
43,393 births
- 2010s 24,903
2010s
24,903 births
- 2020s 11,600
2020s
11,600 births
What this shows Peak: 1980s at 85,908 births (20% of all-time use).
How Jesse 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 Jesse's total volume
Jesse vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Jesse by state
Where Jesse concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 54,864 | 12.7% |
| #2 | Texas | | 46,892 | 10.8% |
| #3 | New York | | 18,025 | 4.2% |
| #4 | Pennsylvania | | 15,843 | 3.7% |
| #5 | North Carolina | | 14,814 | 3.4% |
| #6 | Illinois | | 13,867 | 3.2% |
| #7 | Ohio | | 13,791 | 3.2% |
| #8 | Florida | | 13,714 | 3.2% |
California share of Jesse's total US births 12.7%
Even split
54,864 of 432,428 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Jesse appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Jesse? ▼
Jesse has been given to 432,428 babies in the U.S. since 1880, according to SSA data. Among boys, it ranks #185 as of the latest data. 10,443 babies were born in 1981, its single highest year.
When was Jesse most popular? ▼
Jesse was most popular in the 1980s decade with 85,908 total births. The single peak year was 1981.
Where is Jesse most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Jesse are California (54,864 births), Texas (46,892 births), New York (18,025 births).
How long has the name Jesse been used? ▼
Jesse has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 146 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Jesse? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Jesus, Jessie, Jess, Jessy, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Jesse's data
- Jesse's decade-level peak was the 1980s (85,908 total births); usage has since declined to 11,600 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Jesses (54,864 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 Jesse
Nearby Names Like Jesse
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Jesse
Jesus Boy
#164 244,281 births
Jessie Boy
#1262 111,331 births
Jess Boy
#4571 25,063 births
Jessy Boy
#5089 4,670 births
Jesiah Boy
#804 4,394 births
Compare Jesse side by side: Jesse vs Jesus Jesse vs Jessie Jesse vs Jess
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Jesse
Nicolas #184
101,585 births · Peak 2003
Alejandro #186
146,624 births · Peak 2001
Ryker #183
41,204 births · Peak 2018
Barrett #187
33,425 births · Peak 2025
Maxwell #182
108,732 births · Peak 2014
Ashton #188
88,267 births · Peak 2004
Emmanuel #181
91,079 births · Peak 2008
Miguel #189
190,566 births · Peak 2007
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. "Jesse: #185 Boys' Name - 432,428 Births, Peak 1981." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/jesse. 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 Jesse 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.