Jared
Jared was the 396th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 804 babies. Its best year was 1998, when it ranked 51st with 7,462 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 56 places. More babies were named Jared in the 1990s than in any other decade.
Meaning Origin uncertain · Hebrew
Say it JAIR-id /ˈdʒɛrɪd/
- Rank in 2025
- #396 boys, down 28 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 804boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19987,462 babies
- Total since 1880
- 207,119babies recorded
What does the name Jared mean?
Jared is a biblical name: Yered, a descendant of Adam and father of Enoch (Genesis 5:15). Wiktionary notes it is often explained from the Hebrew root y-r-d, "to go down, descend" (some read the Book of Enoch as linking this to angels descending), or from a root meaning "to rule". The name was rare in English until the 1960s, when it became popular in the US.
יֶרֶד (Biblical Hebrew, “Yered (root perhaps 'descend')”)
How sure is this? Uncertain. Two explanations ('descent', 'rule'); neither is certain.
Related names: Jarod, Jarrod, Yered.
See also: Hebrew names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Jared', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Hebrew Bible / Tanakh, Genesis 5.15, JPS translation with notes (via Sefaria), Sefaria
- CMU Pronouncing Dictionary (cmudict), Carnegie Mellon University
Jared popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 768 since 1970.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #396 | 804 |
| 2020 | #368 | 845 |
| 2010 | #243 | 1,443 |
| 2000 | #56 | 7,324 |
| 1990 | #63 | 6,643 |
| 1980 | #61 | 5,205 |
| 1970 | #284 | 748 |
| 1960 | #970 | 62 |
| 1950 | #857 | 64 |
| 1940 | #1,145 | 34 |
| 1930 | #1,514 | 24 |
| 1920 | #2,675 | 11 |
| 1910 | #1,717 | 5 |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Jared, counting every spelling?
Jared is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #402 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #396 for Jared on its own. Together these spellings went to 809 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jared | 804 | #396 | 4,268 |
| Jerod | 5 | #12,861 | 31 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Jared?
804 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Jared (0.22 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Jared born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 10 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Jared.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Jared?
About 196,100 people born in the US named Jared are alive today, with a median age of 34; half are between 26 and 42. That makes Jared mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Jared by state
How common Jared was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in New Jersey (2.0×), Maryland (1.9×), Utah (1.8×), New York (1.7×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Mississippi, Iowa, Idaho.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Jared: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Jared, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Jared · Sibling names for Jared
Questions about the name Jared
What does Jared mean?
The origin of Jared is uncertain: two explanations ('descent', 'rule'); neither is certain.
How popular is the name Jared?
Jared was the 396th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 804 babies. Its best year was 1998, when it ranked 51st with 7,462 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 56 places. More babies were named Jared in the 1990s than in any other decade.
Is Jared a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Jared in the US.
Where is Jared most popular?
In 2021–2025, Jared was most common in New Jersey (0.97 per 1,000 boys), followed by Maryland and Utah.