Total births
170,036
Unisex name · since 1880
Jessie
Jessie has 170,036 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1918 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #807
- among girls today
- 170,036
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 95%
- more common than other girls
Jessie currently ranks #807 among unisex names in America, with 170,036 babies recorded since 1880.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Jessie has been recorded 170,036 times among girls since 1880, currently ranked #807 nationally and more common than 95% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 1920s. 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.
- #807 among girls today
- 170,036 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
- 95% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Jessie is currently the #807 unisex name in America, more common than 95% of girls - 170,036 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #807
- among girls today
- 170,036
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 95%
- more common than other girls
Jessie vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#807
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 95% of names given to girls today.
1920s
Peak decade
17% of everyone ever named Jessie was born in this single decade.
1918
Single peak year
3,591 babies were named Jessie in 1918 - its busiest year on record.
How Jessie compares
170,036 Top 1% higher than 99% 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
Jessie's all-time total is 445x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Jessie | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 170,036 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 3,591 | 48 | 19,840 |
Jessie's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Jessie's full recorded timeline at 1953, 28% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 72% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 1972, with just 317 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1918 peak of 3,591 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Jessie at a glance
Top 1,000 girls' namePeak year
1918
Current rank
#807
Active since
1880
Jessie popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1918)
- 3,591
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Jessie popularity over time - boys
111,331 total births recorded since 1880 (Jessie as boys' name)
Jessie by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1920s was Jessie's strongest decade.
29,289 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 17% of all-time use.
Jessie births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 9,187
1880s
9,187 births
- 1890s
1890s
11,870 births
- 1900s
1900s
12,756 births
- 1910s
1910s
27,834 births
- 1920s
1920s
29,289 births
- 1930s
1930s
17,248 births
- 1940s
1940s
12,150 births
- 1950s 7,653
1950s
7,653 births
- 1960s 4,201
1960s
4,201 births
- 1970s 4,410
1970s
4,410 births
- 1980s 10,966
1980s
10,966 births
- 1990s 10,142
1990s
10,142 births
- 2000s 5,684
2000s
5,684 births
- 2010s 4,513
2010s
4,513 births
- 2020s 2,133
2020s
2,133 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 29,289 births (17% of all-time use).
How Jessie 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 Jessie's total volume
Jessie vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Jessie by state
Where Jessie concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 10,675 | 6.3% |
| #2 | California | | 8,437 | 5.0% |
| #3 | Georgia | | 7,834 | 4.6% |
| #4 | Alabama | | 7,357 | 4.3% |
| #5 | Mississippi | | 7,322 | 4.3% |
| #6 | North Carolina | | 7,022 | 4.1% |
| #7 | South Carolina | | 6,142 | 3.6% |
| #8 | New York | | 5,805 | 3.4% |
Texas share of Jessie's total US births 6.3%
Even split
10,675 of 170,036 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Jessie appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Jessie? ▼
170,036 babies have been named Jessie since 1880. It currently ranks #807 among girls. The peak year was 1918 with 3,591 births.
When was Jessie most popular? ▼
Jessie was most popular in the 1920s decade with 29,289 total births. The single peak year was 1918.
Where is Jessie most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Jessie are Texas (10,675 births), California (8,437 births), Georgia (7,834 births).
Is Jessie a unisex name? ▼
Yes, Jessie is used for both boys and girls. As a girl's name it has 170,036 births, and as a boy's name it has 111,331 births.
How long has the name Jessie been used? ▼
Records for Jessie go back to 1880, giving 146 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Jessie? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Jessica, Jesse, Jessi, Jessa, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Jessie's data
- Jessie's decade-level peak was the 1920s (29,289 total births); usage has since declined to 2,133 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Texas records the most Jessies (10,675 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas 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 Jessie
Nearby Names Like Jessie
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Jessie
Jessica Girl
#575 1,050,729 births
Jesse Girl
#2466 12,492 births
Jessi Girl
#3247 6,553 births
Jessa Girl
#2033 6,462 births
Jessika Girl
#15687 5,969 births
Compare Jessie side by side: Jessie vs Jessica Jessie vs Jesse Jessie vs Jessi
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Jessie
Alexa #806
131,551 births · Peak 2006
Cielo #808
4,764 births · Peak 2024
Adalee #805
4,731 births · Peak 2022
Baylor #809
3,721 births · Peak 2025
Jaliyah #804
12,277 births · Peak 2011
Braelynn #810
9,829 births · Peak 2016
Maisy #803
4,207 births · Peak 2025
Theodora #811
12,654 births · Peak 2022
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. "Jessie: #807 Unisex Name - 170,036 Births, Peak 1918." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/jessie. 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 Jessie 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.