Jeremy
Jeremy was the 292nd most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 1,152 babies. Its best year was 1976, when it ranked 14th; the most babies were born in 1977 (21,610). Over the last ten years it has moved down 117 places. More babies were named Jeremy in the 1980s than in any other decade.
Meaning God exalts · Hebrew
Say it JAIR-uh-mee /ˈdʒɛrəmi/
- Rank in 2025
- #292 boys, down 60 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 1,152boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 197721,610 babies
- Total since 1880
- 448,737babies recorded
What does the name Jeremy mean?
Jeremy is the older English form of Jeremiah, the biblical prophet; the Wycliffite Bible of 1395 used Jeremy. DMNES and Wikipedia derive the Hebrew Yirmeyahu from a verb meaning 'to exalt, to be high' and the divine name, so 'God exalts'. DMNES notes that Jeremy was sometimes used for the Irish name Diarmaid and confused with Jerome. Wiktionary describes it as the English form of Jeremiah.
יִרְמְיָהוּ (Biblical Hebrew, “Yirmeyahu”)רוּם (Hebrew, “to be high, exalt”)
How sure is this? Probable. 'God exalts' is the usual reading of Yirmeyahu.
Related names: Jeremiah, Jerry, Jem, Jérémie.
See also: Hebrew names, names that mean God.
Sources for this meaning
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Jeremy', Durham University / The DMNES Editors
- Wiktionary, entry 'Jeremy', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wikipedia, 'Jeremy (given name)', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
Nicknames for Jeremy
The usual nicknames for Jeremy are Jerry and Jem. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 boys named Jeremy in the last five years, 22 were named Jerry, against 28 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Boys, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jerry · also for Jeremias, Jeremiah, Gerald | Traditional | #907 | 1,523 |
| Jem · also for James | Modern | — | — |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Jeremys go by each one.
Jeremy popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 2,312 since 1935.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #292 | 1,152 |
| 2020 | #232 | 1,607 |
| 2010 | #142 | 2,823 |
| 2000 | #84 | 4,738 |
| 1990 | #40 | 11,689 |
| 1980 | #18 | 19,892 |
| 1970 | #70 | 4,318 |
| 1960 | #621 | 157 |
| 1950 | #802 | 72 |
| 1940 | #1,056 | 38 |
| 1930 | #1,863 | 17 |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Jeremy, counting every spelling?
Jeremy is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #295 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #292 for Jeremy on its own. Together these spellings went to 1,193 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jeremy | 1,152 | #292 | 6,803 |
| Jeremih | 15 | #5,983 | 138 |
| Jeremie | 11 | #7,391 | 94 |
| Jeremi | 15 | #5,982 | 84 |
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 Jeremy?
1,152 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Jeremy (0.32 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Jeremy 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 7 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Jeremy.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Jeremy?
About 418,300 people born in the US named Jeremy are alive today, with a median age of 41; half are between 32 and 48. That makes Jeremy 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.
Jeremy by state
How common Jeremy was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Rhode Island (2.3×), Maryland (2.2×), District of Columbia (2.1×), New Jersey (2.0×), New York (1.8×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Idaho, South Dakota, Nebraska.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Jeremy: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Jeremy, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Jeremy · Sibling names for Jeremy
Questions about the name Jeremy
What does Jeremy mean?
Jeremy means “God exalts” (Hebrew origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Jeremy?
Jeremy was the 292nd most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 1,152 babies. Its best year was 1976, when it ranked 14th; the most babies were born in 1977 (21,610). Over the last ten years it has moved down 117 places. More babies were named Jeremy in the 1980s than in any other decade.
Is Jeremy a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Jeremy in the US.
Where is Jeremy most popular?
In 2021–2025, Jeremy was most common in Rhode Island (1.84 per 1,000 boys), followed by Maryland and District of Columbia.