Jess
Jess was the 5299th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 18 babies. Its best year was 1887, when it ranked 109th; the most babies were born in 1915 (577). Over the last ten years it has moved down 2,028 places. More babies were named Jess in the 1910s than in any other decade.
Meaning short form of Jesse or Jessica · English, Hebrew
Say it JES /dʒɛs/
- Rank in 2025
- #5,299 boys, down 816 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 18boys
- Girls and boys
- 28% girls, 72% boys2021–2025
- Peak year
- 1915577 babies
- Total since 1880
- 25,550babies recorded
What does the name Jess mean?
Jess is a short form of Jesse for boys and of Jessica (or Jessamy) for girls. Jesse is the father of King David; DMNES glosses the Hebrew Yishai as "gift of God". In the US Jess was mostly given to boys and was most common in the 1910s and 1970s.
יִשַׁי (Biblical Hebrew, “Yishai (Jesse), "gift of God"”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Jesse, Jessica, Jessie, Jessamy.
See also: Hebrew names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Jess', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Jesse', DMNES (Durham University)
- Wikipedia, 'Jess', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation)
Jess popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Rank (boys) | Babies (girls) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #9,747 | #5,299 | 10 | 18 |
| 2020 | #16,197 | #4,483 | 5 | 22 |
| 2010 | — | #3,412 | — | 32 |
| 2000 | #8,249 | #1,559 | 12 | 77 |
| 1990 | #8,794 | #694 | 9 | 214 |
| 1980 | — | #496 | — | 292 |
| 1970 | — | #590 | — | 190 |
| 1960 | — | #467 | — | 289 |
| 1950 | — | #482 | — | 193 |
| 1940 | — | #445 | — | 170 |
| 1930 | — | #406 | — | 207 |
| 1920 | #3,459 | #317 | 9 | 333 |
| 1910 | — | #231 | — | 103 |
| 1900 | #1,828 | #164 | 6 | 128 |
| 1890 | #1,419 | #128 | 5 | 114 |
| 1880 | — | #128 | — | 103 |
How popular is Jess, counting every spelling?
Jess has no other common spelling that sounds the same.
How many kids will share the name Jess?
18 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Jess (0.01 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Jess 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 465 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Jess.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Jess?
About 11,900 people born in the US named Jess are alive today, with a median age of 50; half are between 39 and 65. That makes Jess 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.
Jess by state
How common Jess was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. In 50 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 Jess: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Jess, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Jess · Sibling names for Jess
Jess is also a nickname for Jesse, Jessica and Jessie.
Questions about the name Jess
What does Jess mean?
Jess means “short form of Jesse or Jessica” (English, Hebrew origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Jess?
Jess was the 5299th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 18 babies. Its best year was 1887, when it ranked 109th; the most babies were born in 1915 (577). Over the last ten years it has moved down 2,028 places. More babies were named Jess in the 1910s than in any other decade.
Is Jess a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, 28% girls, 72% boys given the name Jess in the US.
Where is Jess most popular?
In 2021–2025, Jess was most common in California (0.01 per 1,000 boys).