How Many People Are Named Jody?
An estimated 73,909 people in the United States have the first name Jody. It is used for both genders, with 63.9% female. The average bearer is 55 years old, and Jody peaked in popularity in 1970 with 3,700 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Jody 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 Jody paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- Jody has shifted from predominantly female to increasingly male in recent decades.
- Jody is a genuinely unisex name, given to both boys and girls in roughly equal numbers.
- Jody has fallen dramatically from its peak in the 1970s. Recent registrations are less than 5% of what they were at the name's height.
Estimated Living Americans
73,909
About 1 in 4,638 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Uncommon
Predicted Gender
Female
63.9% confidence
Average Age
55
years old
Peak Year
1970
3,700 births
Total Registered
87,349
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Jody
Jody is a genuinely unisex name, used for both males (36.1%) and females (63.9%). Out of 87,349 total births registered, 31,520 were male and 55,829 were female.
Jody as a male name
Ranked #2,682 in 2024
49 male births in 2024
Peak: 1971 (1,704 births)
Jody as a female name
Ranked #6,476 in 2024
18 female births in 2024
Peak: 1958 (2,226 births)
Jody in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 72,569 people with the first name Jody, which placed it at #706 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, Jody was recorded as predominantly female. Out of 72,569 people with this name in that snapshot, 32.6% were male and 67.4% were female. That is very close to the long-run birth pattern in SSA records, where the name is female 63.9% of the time.
Census Count
72,569
people with this name
Census Rank
#706
among Census first names
Frequency Rate
24.03
per 100,000 people
Recorded Race and Hispanic Origin in the 2020 Census
In the 2020 Census, the first name Jody was most commonly recorded among people who identified as White (89.83%). The next largest recorded groups were Two or More Races (2.75%) and Hispanic (2.74%).
These percentages describe the people who had the first name Jody 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 Jody.
| Group | Share | Count |
|---|---|---|
| White | 89.83% | 65,194 |
| Two or More Races | 2.75% | 1,996 |
| Hispanic | 2.74% | 1,985 |
| Black | 2.61% | 1,892 |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 1.20% | 868 |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.88% | 636 |
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.
Jody: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Jody span from the 1910s to the 2020s, covering 12 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1970s, when 27,701 babies were registered. Jody has declined significantly from its peak in the 1970s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Jody by Decade
How has Jody 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.
Jody by State
Birth registrations for Jody span all 51 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in California, Ohio, New York. The lowest are in Delaware, Alaska, Nevada. On average, about 1,589 Jodys were registered per state.
Jody + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Jody as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Jody
Other first names starting with J with a similar number of bearers.
Jody: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jody?
We estimate approximately 73,909 people named Jody 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 4,638 Americans share this first name.
Is Jody a common name?
Jody is classified as "Uncommon" and is more popular than 99.4% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 87,349 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Jody most popular?
Jody reached peak popularity in 1970, when 3,700 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Jody is approximately 55 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
How common was Jody in the 2020 Census?
The 2020 Census recorded 72,569 people with the first name Jody. That placed it at #706 in the published Census first-name tables, or 24.03 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 Jody 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 Jody?
In the 2020 Census snapshot, Jody was recorded as predominantly female. The published split was 32.6% male and 67.4% female.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Jody?
In the 2020 Census, the first name Jody was most commonly recorded among people who identified as White (89.83%). The next largest recorded groups were Two or More Races (2.75%) and Hispanic (2.74%). 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 Jody a female name?
Jody is predominantly female. 63.9% of people with this name are female. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
Why can Jody 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. Jody peaked in 1970, and the average living bearer is about 55 years old, so a name can still have millions of living bearers even after it stops feeling current for newborns.
How many Jody Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Jody Smith, Jody Johnson, Jody 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.
Search for a full name combination
How Many of Me