How Many People Are Named Jessie?
An estimated 114,076 people in the United States have the first name Jessie. While not in the top 50, it remains a well-known name ranking #478 overall. It is used for both genders, with 60.4% female. The average bearer is 49 years old, and Jessie peaked in popularity in 1918 with 5,003 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Jessie as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, state-by-state birth registrations, and, when available, a 2020 Census snapshot showing who had the name at that point in time. You can also check how many people share the full name Jessie paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- Jessie is a genuinely unisex name, given to both boys and girls in roughly equal numbers.
Estimated Living Americans
114,076
About 1 in 3,005 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Common
Predicted Gender
Female
60.4% confidence
Average Age
49
years old
Peak Year
1918
5,003 births
Total Registered
280,906
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Jessie
Jessie is a genuinely unisex name, used for both males (39.6%) and females (60.4%). Out of 280,906 total births registered, 111,202 were male and 169,704 were female.
Jessie as a male name
Ranked #1,261 in 2024
156 male births in 2024
Peak: 1922 (1,591 births)
Jessie as a female name
Ranked #808 in 2024
348 female births in 2024
Peak: 1918 (3,591 births)
Jessie in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 104,536 people with the first name Jessie, which placed it at #537 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name in 2020. The estimated living count elsewhere on this page is different: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two figures are not expected to match exactly.
Read this section as a snapshot of people who already had the name in 2020. The SSA charts elsewhere on this page are still the better way to see how the name rose, fell, or shifted across generations.
Gender in the 2020 Census
In the 2020 Census, Jessie was recorded as predominantly female. Out of 104,536 people with this name in that snapshot, 43.8% were male and 56.2% were female. That is very close to the long-run birth pattern in SSA records, where the name is female 60.4% of the time.
Census Count
104,536
people with this name
Census Rank
#537
among Census first names
Frequency Rate
34.61
per 100,000 people
Recorded Race and Hispanic Origin in the 2020 Census
In the 2020 Census, the first name Jessie was most commonly recorded among people who identified as White (53.59%). The next largest recorded groups were Black (21.03%) and Hispanic (16.22%).
These percentages describe the people who had the first name Jessie in the 2020 Census. They do not tell you the deeper meaning or origin of the name itself.
2020 Census demographic breakdown
Each row shows a recorded Census category for people with the first name Jessie.
| Group | Share | Count |
|---|---|---|
| White | 53.59% | 56,018 |
| Black | 21.03% | 21,985 |
| Hispanic | 16.22% | 16,954 |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 4.78% | 4,993 |
| Two or More Races | 3.17% | 3,314 |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 1.21% | 1,266 |
The Census published separate sex and race/origin tables for first names, so their total counts can differ slightly for the same name. That is why the race section focuses on the demographic mix rather than repeating a second headline count.
Jessie: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Jessie span from the 1880s to the 2020s, covering 15 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1920s, when 44,086 babies were registered. Jessie has declined significantly from its peak in the 1920s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Jessie by Decade
How has Jessie tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
| Decade | Total | Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 11,030 | 1,843 | 9,187 | |
| 1890s | 14,294 | 2,424 | 11,870 | |
| 1900s | 16,135 | 3,379 | 12,756 | |
| 1910s | 38,004 | 10,170 | 27,834 | |
| 1920s | 44,086 | 14,797 | 29,289 | |
| 1930s | 28,481 | 11,233 | 17,248 | |
| 1940s | 22,472 | 10,322 | 12,150 | |
| 1950s | 17,817 | 10,165 | 7,652 | |
| 1960s | 12,898 | 8,697 | 4,201 | |
| 1970s | 12,604 | 8,193 | 4,411 | |
| 1980s | 22,528 | 11,561 | 10,967 | |
| 1990s | 19,440 | 9,298 | 10,142 | |
| 2000s | 11,277 | 5,594 | 5,683 | |
| 2010s | 7,266 | 2,754 | 4,512 | |
| 2020s | 2,574 | 772 | 1,802 | |
Jessie by State
Birth registrations for Jessie span all 51 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in Texas, Mississippi, California. The lowest are in Delaware, Alaska, Wyoming. On average, about 4,557 Jessies were registered per state.
Jessie + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Jessie as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Jessie
Other first names starting with J with a similar number of bearers.
Jessie: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jessie?
We estimate approximately 114,076 people named Jessie are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 3,005 Americans share this first name.
Is Jessie a common name?
Jessie is classified as "Common" and is more popular than 99.5% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 280,906 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Jessie most popular?
Jessie reached peak popularity in 1918, when 5,003 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Jessie is approximately 49 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
How common was Jessie in the 2020 Census?
The 2020 Census recorded 104,536 people with the first name Jessie. That placed it at #537 in the published Census first-name tables, or 34.61 people per 100,000.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census number is a count of people with the name in 2020. The living estimate is a current model based on SSA birth records and survival rates, so it aims to estimate how many people with the name are alive now.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The popularity chart tracks birth registrations, not people currently alive. It shows how often Jessie was given to babies from 1880 through 2024, which is why it is the best tool on the page for seeing long-run naming trends.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Jessie?
In the 2020 Census snapshot, Jessie was recorded as predominantly female. The published split was 43.8% male and 56.2% female.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Jessie?
In the 2020 Census, the first name Jessie was most commonly recorded among people who identified as White (53.59%). The next largest recorded groups were Black (21.03%) and Hispanic (16.22%). These percentages describe the people who had the name in the 2020 Census, not the deeper meaning or origin of the name itself.
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census published separate first-name tables for sex and for race and Hispanic origin. Those totals can differ slightly for the same name, so the page uses them as two related snapshots rather than treating them as perfectly interchangeable counts.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name tables only include names that met the Bureau's publication rules. That means some names on this site will have SSA history but no published Census demographic snapshot.
Is Jessie a female name?
Jessie is predominantly female. 60.4% of people with this name are female. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
Why can Jessie have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because a name can build up a large population over many decades. Jessie peaked in 1918, and the average living bearer is about 49 years old, so a name can still have millions of living bearers even after it stops feeling current for newborns.
How many Jessie Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Jessie Smith, Jessie Johnson, Jessie Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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