Jesse

Origin: Hebrew — From Hebrew Yishai — a biblical name of unestablished meaning; father of King David

Nicknames: Jess

Boy's name · #184 in the US (2025) · Timeless

97% boys · 3% girls — Jesse is also given to girls: 72 in 2025, about 1 in 30 in recent years. Jesse →

Popularity over time

Jesse holds its lane: charted since 1880 and rarely far from where it stands today (#184 in 2025). About 432,000 boys have carried it along the way. In all that time it has never once missed a year of the national records.

Across the states

See where Jesse is more common.

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 50 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Around the world

See how Jesse ranks in other countries and regions.

#38 in Netherlands (2025) · #51 in England & Wales (2025) · #100 in N. Ireland (2025) · #143 in Ireland (2025) · #163 in New Zealand (2025) · #232 in Scotland (2025) · #764 in Belgium (2025) · #929 in Switzerland (2025) · #977 in Sweden (2025) · #1,524 in Austria (2025) · #1,925 in France (2025) · #231 in Canada (2024).

Famous Jesses

Jesse Owens — American track and field athlete (1913–1980)
Jesse Jackson — American politician (1941–2026)
Jesse Eisenberg — American actor
Jesse Lingard — English footballer (born 1992)
Jesse James — American outlaw, confederate guerrilla, and train robber

In stories & tradition

Jesse — Book of Ruth (Bible)
Jesse Pinkman — Breaking Bad (TV series)
Jesse Stone — Jesse Stone (film series)

What Jesses become

Among 1,712 notable people named Jesse:

Sports figures appear 1.61× more often than among typical names — e.g. Jesse Owens, American track and field athlete (1913–1980).

Similar names: Sam · Jessie · Chase · Ben · Joel · Jeremy

Browse more boy names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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