Jody
Jody was the 3057th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 40 babies. Its best year was 1971, when it ranked 161st with 1,704 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 744 places. More babies were named Jody in the 1970s than in any other decade.
Meaning variant of Judy, or Jo + -dy · English, Hebrew
Say it JOH-dee /ˈdʒoʊdi/
- Rank in 2025
- #3,057 boys, down 104 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 40boys
- Girls and boys
- 29% girls, 71% boys2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19711,704 babies
- Total since 1880
- 87,407babies recorded
What does the name Jody mean?
Jody has two sources, according to Wiktionary: it is a variant of Judy, the pet form of Judith ('woman of Judea'), and a blend of Jo or Joe with names like Judy. It was used for both boys and girls in the US from the mid-20th century. Jodie Foster is a famous bearer.
יְהוּדִית (Yehudit) (Biblical Hebrew, “woman of Judea”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Jodie, Jodi, Judy, Jo, Joseph.
See also: English names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Jody', 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. 'Judith', DMNES (Durham University)
Jody popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Rank (boys) | Babies (girls) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #6,968 | #3,057 | 16 | 40 |
| 2020 | #5,965 | #2,953 | 20 | 40 |
| 2010 | #5,868 | #1,905 | 23 | 75 |
| 2000 | #2,320 | #1,510 | 67 | 80 |
| 1990 | #984 | #695 | 188 | 214 |
| 1980 | #293 | #316 | 848 | 604 |
| 1970 | #153 | #184 | 2,200 | 1,500 |
| 1960 | #196 | #254 | 1,841 | 994 |
| 1950 | #391 | #579 | 433 | 138 |
| 1940 | #983 | #1,383 | 53 | 24 |
| 1930 | #2,770 | #2,888 | 11 | 9 |
| 1920 | #4,175 | #4,631 | 7 | 5 |
| 1910 | — | #1,505 | — | 6 |
| 1900 | — | — | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — |
How popular is Jody, counting every spelling?
Jody has no other common spelling that sounds the same.
How many kids will share the name Jody?
40 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Jody (0.01 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Jody 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 210 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Jody.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Jody?
About 26,800 people born in the US named Jody are alive today, with a median age of 54; half are between 47 and 60. That makes Jody 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.
Jody by state
How common Jody was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Texas (1.8×). In 48 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 Jody: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Jody, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Jody · Sibling names for Jody
Questions about the name Jody
What does Jody mean?
Jody means “variant of Judy, or Jo + -dy” (English, Hebrew origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Jody?
Jody was the 3057th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 40 babies. Its best year was 1971, when it ranked 161st with 1,704 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 744 places. More babies were named Jody in the 1970s than in any other decade.
Is Jody a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, 29% girls, 71% boys given the name Jody in the US.
Where is Jody most popular?
In 2021–2025, Jody was most common in Texas (0.04 per 1,000 boys), followed by California and Georgia.