Jessie
Jessie was the 824th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 330 babies. Its best year was 1881, when it ranked 35th; the most babies were born in 1918 (3,591). Over the last ten years it has moved down 211 places. More babies were named Jessie in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Meaning pet form of Jessica, Jane or Jesse · English, Scottish, Hebrew
Say it JES-ee /ˈdʒɛsi/
- Rank in 2025
- #824 girls, down 105 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 330girls
- Girls and boys
- 70% girls, 30% boys2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19183,591 babies
- Total since 1880
- 281,367babies recorded
What does the name Jessie mean?
Jessie has several sources, according to Wiktionary. For girls it can be a pet form of Jessica, or an older Scottish pet form of Jane and Jean. For boys it is a form of Jesse, from Hebrew Yishai. Each source has its own meaning: Jane goes back to Hebrew for "God is gracious," while Jesse's meaning is not given in our sources. Jessie has been used in the US since 1880 for both girls and boys and was most common around 1920.
יִשַׁי (Biblical Hebrew, “Jesse”)
How sure is this? Uncertain. Several sources; no single meaning.
Related names: Jessica, Jesse, Jess, Jean, Janet.
See also: English names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Jessie' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'John', DMNES (Durham University)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (yob*.txt), team3 computation of first year recorded, US Social Security Administration (public domain)
Nicknames for Jessie
The usual nicknames for Jessie are Jess.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Girls, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jess · also for Jesse, Jessica | Traditional | #9,747 | 41 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are girls given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Jessies go by each one.
Jessie popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Rank (boys) | Babies (girls) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #824 | #1,431 | 330 | 126 |
| 2020 | #719 | #1,219 | 388 | 155 |
| 2010 | #683 | #610 | 420 | 407 |
| 2000 | #400 | #446 | 719 | 533 |
| 1990 | #252 | #231 | 1,118 | 1,255 |
| 1980 | #303 | #220 | 813 | 1,098 |
| 1970 | #553 | #288 | 336 | 729 |
| 1960 | #434 | #261 | 509 | 932 |
| 1950 | #245 | #202 | 936 | 1,021 |
| 1940 | #158 | #162 | 1,336 | 1,019 |
| 1930 | #114 | #133 | 2,195 | 1,329 |
| 1920 | #84 | #111 | 3,329 | 1,590 |
| 1910 | #63 | #72 | 1,541 | 516 |
| 1900 | #53 | #69 | 1,422 | 398 |
| 1890 | #43 | #73 | 1,250 | 241 |
| 1880 | #36 | #90 | 635 | 154 |
How popular is Jessie, counting every spelling?
Jessie is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #682 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #824 for Jessie on its own. Together these spellings went to 417 girls in 2025.
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 Jessie?
330 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Jessie (0.09 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Jessie 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 25 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Jessie.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Jessie?
About 57,200 people born in the US named Jessie are alive today, with a median age of 42; half are between 29 and 71. That makes Jessie mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties. The wide spread shows a name popular in two different eras.
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.
Jessie by state
How common Jessie was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Louisiana (2.7×), Arkansas (2.5×), Kentucky (1.9×), Arizona (1.8×), Alabama (1.6×). In 18 states fewer than five girls 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 Jessie: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Jessie, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Jessie · Sibling names for Jessie
Jessie is also a nickname for Jessica.
Questions about the name Jessie
What does Jessie mean?
Jessie is usually explained as “pet form of Jessica, Jane or Jesse”, but this is uncertain. Certainty: uncertain.
How popular is the name Jessie?
Jessie was the 824th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 330 babies. Its best year was 1881, when it ranked 35th; the most babies were born in 1918 (3,591). Over the last ten years it has moved down 211 places. More babies were named Jessie in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Is Jessie a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, 70% girls, 30% boys given the name Jessie in the US.
Where is Jessie most popular?
In 2021–2025, Jessie was most common in Louisiana (0.57 per 1,000 girls), followed by Arkansas and Kentucky.