Jacarey
An invented name with no clear meaning or origin.
Name Census estimates that about 6 living Americans carry the first name Jacarey. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Jacarey today is around 22 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jacarey births was 2004 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jacarey. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Jacarey. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
6
~ 1 in 57,125,723 Americans
Peak year
2004
6 babies that year
Average age
22
years old
2004 SSA rank
#10,488
Tracked since 2004
Popularity
Jacarey: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Jacarey by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Jacarey during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 6 | 0 | 6 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Jacarey
The given name Jacarey has its origins in the ancient Mapuche language, spoken by indigenous peoples of Chile and parts of western Argentina. Originating in the 16th century, the name is derived from the Mapuche words "jaca" meaning "rock" and "rey" meaning "king" or "ruler".
Jacarey was likely a title or honorific bestowed upon respected leaders and chieftains among the Mapuche tribes, referring to them as "kings of the rock" or "rulers of the stone". This could have been in recognition of their strength, resilience, and steadfastness in the face of adversity, much like the enduring nature of rocks.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Jacarey can be found in Spanish colonial records from the 16th and 17th centuries, documenting interactions and conflicts between the Spanish conquistadors and the Mapuche people. One notable figure bearing this name was Jacarey, a powerful Mapuche toqui (war leader) who led a significant uprising against the Spanish in the late 16th century.
In the 18th century, a Mapuche chief named Jacarey was instrumental in negotiating a peace treaty with the Spanish authorities, securing autonomy and territorial rights for his people. His diplomacy and leadership skills were widely praised, and he is remembered as a key figure in Mapuche history.
Another notable bearer of the name was Jacarey, a renowned Mapuche poet and storyteller from the 19th century, whose works preserved and celebrated the rich oral traditions and cultural heritage of his people. His poetic narratives were passed down through generations, keeping the Mapuche language and customs alive.
In more recent times, Jacarey was the name of a respected Mapuche elder and spiritual leader who played a vital role in reviving and promoting traditional practices and beliefs among his community in the early 20th century. His teachings and wisdom were highly valued, and he was seen as a guardian of Mapuche culture.
While the name Jacarey is relatively uncommon outside of its Mapuche origins, it holds deep cultural significance and historical importance for the indigenous peoples of Chile and Argentina, serving as a testament to their resilience, leadership, and enduring connection to their ancestral lands and traditions.
People
Jacarey + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jacarey as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with J
Other first names starting with J with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Jacarey: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jacarey?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 6 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jacarey going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 57,125,723 US residents.
Is Jacarey a common name?
We classify Jacarey as "Very Rare". It ranks above 22.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 6 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Jacarey most popular?
The single biggest year for Jacarey was 2004, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jacarey is about 22 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Jacarey in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Jacarey a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Jacarey in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Jacarey still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Jacarey in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Jacarey can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have Jacarey as a first name?
If you just want to know how many Americans are named Jacarey, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.