Juniper
Juniper was the 100th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 2,618 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 327 places. More babies were named Juniper in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Meaning juniper (the shrub) · English, Latin
Say it JOO-nih-per /ˈdʒunɪpər/
- Rank in 2025
- #100 girls, up 71 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 2,618girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20252,618 babies
- Total since 1880
- 22,117babies recorded
What does the name Juniper mean?
Juniper is the name of an evergreen shrub of the cypress family. Wiktionary records it as an English surname from someone living near juniper bushes, and as a given name for girls and boys. Wikipedia mentions that some families see it as related to Guinevere, through the Welsh-derived name Jennifer, and Wiktionary notes that some medieval uses may come from a form of Jennifer reshaped by folk etymology. Most parents choose it as a nature name.
iūniperus (Latin, “juniper”)
How sure is this? Probable. As a modern name it is a plant name; the link to Jennifer/Guinevere is secondary.
Related names: June, Juni, Jennifer.
See also: English names, names that mean tree.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Juniper', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wikipedia, 'Juniper (given name)', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
Nicknames for Juniper
The usual nicknames for Juniper are June and Juni. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 girls named Juniper in the last five years, 75 were named June, against 321 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Girls, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| June · also for Junior | Modern | #150 | 9,029 |
| Juni | Modern | — | — |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are girls given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Junipers go by each one.
Juniper popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 261 since 2012, 28 in 2025.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #100 | 2,618 |
| 2020 | #171 | 1,676 |
| 2010 | #1,147 | 213 |
| 2000 | #5,061 | 23 |
| 1990 | — | — |
| 1980 | #7,041 | 9 |
| 1970 | #6,635 | 7 |
| 1960 | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Juniper, counting every spelling?
Juniper is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #122 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #100 for Juniper on its own. Together these spellings went to 2,618 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Juniper | 2,618 | #100 | 11,968 |
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 Juniper?
2,618 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Juniper (0.73 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Juniper 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 3 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Juniper.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Juniper?
About 21,700 people born in the US named Juniper are alive today, with a median age of 5; half are between 3 and 9. That makes Juniper a young name: most people with it are children.
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.
Juniper by state
How common Juniper was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Vermont (9.8×), Alaska (6.5×), Wyoming (6.5×), Montana (5.2×), Oregon (4.4×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Delaware, District of Columbia, New Jersey.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Juniper: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Juniper, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Juniper · Sibling names for Juniper
Questions about the name Juniper
What does Juniper mean?
Juniper means “juniper (the shrub)” (English, Latin origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Juniper?
Juniper was the 100th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 2,618 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 327 places. More babies were named Juniper in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Is Juniper a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Juniper in the US.
Where is Juniper most popular?
In 2021–2025, Juniper was most common in Vermont (14.44 per 1,000 girls), followed by Alaska and Wyoming.