Jessie
Jessie is given to both girls and boys: 330 girls and 126 boys were given it in 2025 (#824 among girls’ names and #1,431 among boys’, #1,251 among all names counting both); 281,367 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026). Girls have outnumbered boys among babies named Jessie every year since 2010.
An estimated 113,000 Americans named Jessie and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (40% of everyone recorded); the median is 44 years old and half are between 31 and 67.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Jessie by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Jessie mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Jessie is “a diminutive of the female given name Jessica.”
Also “a male given name from Hebrew, variant of Jesse.”
From Jess + -ie.
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Jessie?
#824 among girls’ names, 2025
Jessie fell from #613 in 2015 to #824 in 2025 among girls’ names; its share of girls born fell from 0.26 to 0.21 per 1,000.
5,003 babies in 1918, the peak
Jessie peaked in 1918, when 5,003 babies were given it (3,591 girls, #75 among girls’ names). The 456 births of 2025 (girls and boys) are 9% of that peak.
Births by sex.
| Year | Girls | Girls’ rank | Boys | Boys’ rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 330 | #824 | 126 | #1,431 |
| 2024 | 348 | #809 | 156 | #1,264 |
| 2023 | 355 | #796 | 136 | #1,373 |
| 2022 | 356 | #794 | 182 | #1,145 |
| 2021 | 356 | #795 | 146 | #1,299 |
| 2020 | 388 | #719 | 155 | #1,219 |
| 2019 | 417 | #692 | 194 | #1,055 |
| 2018 | 449 | #658 | 178 | #1,103 |
| 2017 | 453 | #657 | 216 | #961 |
| 2016 | 460 | #642 | 247 | #886 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Girls | Girls’ rank | Boys | Boys’ rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 471 | #613 | 233 | #919 |
| 2014 | 508 | #587 | 284 | #808 |
| 2013 | 479 | #595 | 323 | #723 |
| 2012 | 448 | #639 | 340 | #698 |
| 2011 | 408 | #689 | 333 | #696 |
| 2010 | 420 | #683 | 407 | #610 |
| 2009 | 425 | #687 | 460 | #575 |
| 2008 | 493 | #625 | 488 | #541 |
| 2007 | 499 | #603 | 533 | #497 |
| 2006 | 529 | #558 | 546 | #484 |
| 2005 | 507 | #567 | 590 | #443 |
| 2004 | 607 | #484 | 571 | #456 |
| 2003 | 618 | #477 | 627 | #410 |
| 2002 | 676 | #432 | 653 | #397 |
| 2001 | 611 | #454 | 593 | #419 |
| 2000 | 719 | #400 | 533 | #446 |
| 1999 | 740 | #385 | 581 | #408 |
| 1998 | 744 | #379 | 642 | #385 |
| 1997 | 846 | #338 | 753 | #342 |
| 1996 | 981 | #296 | 874 | #301 |
| 1995 | 1,138 | #249 | 903 | #294 |
| 1994 | 1,255 | #227 | 983 | #276 |
| 1993 | 1,108 | #250 | 1,083 | #265 |
| 1992 | 1,096 | #256 | 1,048 | #273 |
| 1991 | 1,116 | #249 | 1,176 | #242 |
| 1990 | 1,118 | #252 | 1,255 | #231 |
| 1989 | 1,147 | #240 | 1,133 | #235 |
| 1988 | 1,161 | #227 | 1,082 | #227 |
| 1987 | 1,223 | #215 | 1,162 | #214 |
| 1986 | 1,276 | #204 | 1,118 | #215 |
| 1985 | 1,111 | #234 | 1,131 | #213 |
| 1984 | 993 | #251 | 1,095 | #211 |
| 1983 | 889 | #269 | 1,161 | #205 |
| 1982 | 1,144 | #225 | 1,328 | #190 |
| 1981 | 1,209 | #219 | 1,253 | #196 |
| 1980 | 813 | #303 | 1,098 | #220 |
| 1979 | 720 | #326 | 1,024 | #223 |
| 1978 | 644 | #338 | 895 | #236 |
| 1977 | 484 | #420 | 933 | #231 |
| 1976 | 448 | #439 | 823 | #246 |
| 1975 | 392 | #473 | 772 | #257 |
| 1974 | 358 | #492 | 750 | #259 |
| 1973 | 352 | #495 | 753 | #258 |
| 1972 | 317 | #533 | 756 | #261 |
| 1971 | 359 | #517 | 757 | #278 |
| 1970 | 336 | #553 | 729 | #288 |
| 1969 | 324 | #549 | 773 | #267 |
| 1968 | 320 | #535 | 717 | #275 |
| 1967 | 373 | #495 | 797 | #252 |
| 1966 | 475 | #425 | 902 | #236 |
| 1965 | 474 | #433 | 874 | #252 |
| 1964 | 411 | #477 | 906 | #254 |
| 1963 | 400 | #485 | 904 | #254 |
| 1962 | 445 | #463 | 941 | #251 |
| 1961 | 470 | #450 | 951 | #253 |
| 1960 | 509 | #434 | 932 | #261 |
| 1959 | 585 | #392 | 960 | #258 |
| 1958 | 589 | #375 | 1,018 | #246 |
| 1957 | 634 | #360 | 1,066 | #233 |
| 1956 | 684 | #335 | 1,050 | #227 |
| 1955 | 747 | #313 | 963 | #230 |
| 1954 | 760 | #305 | 993 | #220 |
| 1953 | 900 | #276 | 1,070 | #208 |
| 1952 | 878 | #271 | 1,035 | #207 |
| 1951 | 940 | #249 | 989 | #206 |
| 1950 | 936 | #245 | 1,021 | #202 |
| 1949 | 1,030 | #231 | 1,023 | #200 |
| 1948 | 1,071 | #227 | 1,095 | #185 |
| 1947 | 1,157 | #219 | 1,051 | #195 |
| 1946 | 1,173 | #207 | 1,020 | #181 |
| 1945 | 1,107 | #185 | 940 | #175 |
| 1944 | 1,217 | #177 | 1,033 | #167 |
| 1943 | 1,313 | #177 | 1,100 | #166 |
| 1942 | 1,391 | #167 | 1,003 | #167 |
| 1941 | 1,355 | #165 | 1,038 | #162 |
| 1940 | 1,336 | #158 | 1,019 | #162 |
| 1939 | 1,396 | #155 | 1,058 | #154 |
| 1938 | 1,476 | #150 | 972 | #163 |
| 1937 | 1,550 | #144 | 1,042 | #148 |
| 1936 | 1,586 | #140 | 1,012 | #151 |
| 1935 | 1,619 | #135 | 1,104 | #140 |
| 1934 | 1,792 | #129 | 1,090 | #144 |
| 1933 | 1,808 | #127 | 1,079 | #143 |
| 1932 | 1,896 | #126 | 1,280 | #137 |
| 1931 | 1,930 | #122 | 1,267 | #135 |
| 1930 | 2,195 | #114 | 1,329 | #133 |
| 1929 | 2,258 | #110 | 1,330 | #129 |
| 1928 | 2,423 | #109 | 1,419 | #124 |
| 1927 | 2,858 | #95 | 1,459 | #124 |
| 1926 | 2,921 | #93 | 1,481 | #124 |
| 1925 | 2,951 | #97 | 1,467 | #123 |
| 1924 | 3,147 | #91 | 1,460 | #124 |
| 1923 | 2,995 | #94 | 1,483 | #119 |
| 1922 | 3,182 | #87 | 1,591 | #111 |
| 1921 | 3,225 | #91 | 1,517 | #117 |
| 1920 | 3,329 | #84 | 1,590 | #111 |
| 1919 | 3,530 | #75 | 1,473 | #109 |
| 1918 | 3,591 | #75 | 1,412 | #120 |
| 1917 | 3,465 | #70 | 1,361 | #114 |
| 1916 | 3,414 | #68 | 1,269 | #117 |
| 1915 | 3,356 | #66 | 1,240 | #114 |
| 1914 | 2,860 | #64 | 949 | #117 |
| 1913 | 2,475 | #61 | 758 | #114 |
| 1912 | 2,052 | #65 | 692 | #109 |
| 1911 | 1,550 | #66 | 500 | #79 |
| 1910 | 1,541 | #63 | 516 | #72 |
| 1909 | 1,321 | #63 | 432 | #73 |
| 1908 | 1,382 | #58 | 355 | #77 |
| 1907 | 1,314 | #60 | 386 | #71 |
| 1906 | 1,247 | #58 | 323 | #77 |
| 1905 | 1,315 | #57 | 338 | #74 |
| 1904 | 1,197 | #60 | 313 | #76 |
| 1903 | 1,202 | #55 | 280 | #78 |
| 1902 | 1,240 | #54 | 323 | #73 |
| 1901 | 1,116 | #55 | 231 | #85 |
| 1900 | 1,422 | #53 | 398 | #69 |
| 1899 | 1,081 | #54 | 261 | #70 |
| 1898 | 1,244 | #55 | 267 | #78 |
| 1897 | 1,191 | #52 | 234 | #79 |
| 1896 | 1,103 | #57 | 229 | #89 |
| 1895 | 1,300 | #48 | 245 | #79 |
| 1894 | 1,120 | #55 | 255 | #79 |
| 1893 | 1,216 | #48 | 214 | #85 |
| 1892 | 1,246 | #46 | 251 | #79 |
| 1891 | 1,119 | #48 | 227 | #75 |
| 1890 | 1,250 | #43 | 241 | #73 |
| 1889 | 1,196 | #43 | 207 | #86 |
| 1888 | 1,200 | #43 | 254 | #78 |
| 1887 | 1,012 | #41 | 182 | #86 |
| 1886 | 1,003 | #41 | 181 | #89 |
| 1885 | 952 | #40 | 202 | #81 |
| 1884 | 888 | #42 | 177 | #90 |
| 1883 | 834 | #40 | 151 | #89 |
| 1882 | 806 | #37 | 192 | #84 |
| 1881 | 661 | #35 | 143 | #91 |
| 1880 | 635 | #36 | 154 | #90 |
Ranks: girls’ names and boys’ names ranked separately in each year’s SSA file; “under 5” is a year SSA did not list the name for that sex.
Is Jessie a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Of the 281,367 Americans recorded as Jessie, 60% are girls and 40% boys.
Years with fewer than 20 babies given the name are left blank.
Girls and boys named Jessie: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Jessie, and how old are they?
113,000 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 40% of the 281,367 Americans ever recorded as Jessie. The median Jessie alive today is 44 years old; half are between 31 and 67.
The 2020 Census counted 104,536 people named Jessie (58,763 women and girls, 45,773 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 124,764 born in the U.S. The Census count is 16% below that prediction. Possible reasons: people who give a short form or another name to the Census, and a survival estimate that can run high.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 11,300 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 23,200 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 18,500 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 34,300 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 17,700 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 7,890 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Jessie born?
The states with the most babies named Jessie are Texas, Mississippi and California, with 25% of its births recorded by state since 1910; Mississippi is not among the ten states with the most births.
| State | Since 1910 | Rank, girls | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 23,810 | #626 | 1.5× |
| Mississippi | 16,934 | not ranked | 4.0× |
| California | 16,388 | #743 | 0.9× |
| Alabama | 14,795 | #601 | 2.6× |
| Georgia | 14,746 | #821 | 2.0× |
| North Carolina | 12,802 | #1,011 | 1.7× |
| Louisiana | 10,639 | #358 | 2.2× |
| Tennessee | 10,186 | #625 | 1.8× |
| South Carolina | 10,085 | #639 | 2.3× |
| Arkansas | 8,890 | #454 | 2.5× |
Where Jessie is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Jessie is most over-represented in Mississippi: since 1910 it was given 4.0 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among girls’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Jessie with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names spelled alike
Of these 8 names spelled alike, given to 297,645 babies since 1880, Jessie is the most given (95% of them). In 2025 it was given to 456 of their 618 babies (74%), again the most given.
Spelled alike: names in the SSA national file with the same pattern of letters and sounds and at most two letters apart, and Wiktionary’s listed forms; births since 1880 and in 2025, and each name’s peak year, from the SSA national file, published May 8, 2026. Some are separate names, not spellings of one.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Jessie
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Jessie and names like it
- Compare Jessie and JessiBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 1910sJessie peaked in 1918.
- Texas’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Jessie since 1910.
- The top names of 1918The year the most babies were named Jessie.
- The names of the MillennialsMost people named Jessie alive today were born 1981-1996.
- Names starting with JMost given first.