Jerome
Jerome was the 1257th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 158 babies. Its best year was 1938, when it ranked 93rd; the most babies were born in 1954 (3,113). Over the last ten years it has moved down 420 places. More babies were named Jerome in the 1950s than in any other decade.
Meaning sacred name · Greek, Latin, Old French
Say it juh-ROHM /dʒəˈɹoʊm/
- Rank in 2025
- #1,257 boys, down 255 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 158boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19543,113 babies
- Total since 1880
- 162,296babies recorded
What does the name Jerome mean?
Jerome is the English form of Greek Hieronymos 'sacred name', from hieros 'sacred, holy' and onoma 'name', through the Old French vernacular form of the saint's name, as DMNES and Wiktionary note. Saint Jerome (4th-5th century) translated the Bible into Latin, the Vulgate. DMNES notes it was sometimes confused with Jeremy. It is a doublet of Geronimo.
ἱερός (hieros) (Ancient Greek, “sacred, holy”)ὄνομα (onoma) (Ancient Greek, “name”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Geronimo, Jerry, Hieronymus, Jérôme.
See also: Greek names.
Sources for this meaning
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Jerome', DMNES (Durham University)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Jerome', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
Nicknames for Jerome
The usual nicknames for Jerome are Jerry. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 boys named Jerome in the last five years, 177 were named Jerry, against 251 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Boys, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jerry · also for Jeremias, Jeremiah, Jeremy | Traditional | #907 | 1,523 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Jeromes go by each one.
Jerome popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 1,062 since 1912.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,257 | 158 |
| 2020 | #1,002 | 211 |
| 2010 | #742 | 306 |
| 2000 | #494 | 462 |
| 1990 | #264 | 1,019 |
| 1980 | #178 | 1,385 |
| 1970 | #168 | 1,724 |
| 1960 | #133 | 2,676 |
| 1950 | #103 | 2,830 |
| 1940 | #95 | 2,178 |
| 1930 | #105 | 1,768 |
| 1920 | #126 | 1,285 |
| 1910 | #159 | 196 |
| 1900 | #213 | 85 |
| 1890 | #205 | 64 |
| 1880 | #229 | 52 |
How popular is Jerome, counting every spelling?
Jerome has no other common spelling that sounds the same. Counting every name's spellings together, it ranks #1,189 for boys in 2025, against #1,257 on the official list.
How many kids will share the name Jerome?
158 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Jerome (0.04 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Jerome 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 53 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Jerome.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Jerome?
About 89,700 people born in the US named Jerome are alive today, with a median age of 60; half are between 43 and 71. That makes Jerome a name most people associate with older generations.
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.
Jerome by state
How common Jerome was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Minnesota (2.1×), Wisconsin (1.7×), Pennsylvania (1.6×). In 24 states fewer than five boys a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Jerome: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Jerome, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Jerome · Sibling names for Jerome
Questions about the name Jerome
What does Jerome mean?
Jerome means “sacred name” (Greek, Latin, Old French origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Jerome?
Jerome was the 1257th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 158 babies. Its best year was 1938, when it ranked 93rd; the most babies were born in 1954 (3,113). Over the last ten years it has moved down 420 places. More babies were named Jerome in the 1950s than in any other decade.
Is Jerome a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Jerome in the US.
Where is Jerome most popular?
In 2021–2025, Jerome was most common in Minnesota (0.21 per 1,000 boys), followed by Wisconsin and South Carolina.