Jaelani
A masculine Arabic name meaning "lofty" or "sublime".
Name Census estimates that about 525 living Americans carry the first name Jaelani. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Jaelani today is around 7 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jaelani births was 2024 (103 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jaelani. 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.
People living today
525
~ 1 in 652,865 Americans
Peak year
2024
103 babies that year
Average age
7
years old
2024 SSA rank
#1,924
Tracked since 2006
Popularity
Jaelani: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Jaelani from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 318 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Jaelani 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 Jaelani during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Jaelanis live
The SSA's state-level files cover 8 states and territories. Texas, California, Florida recorded the most babies named Jaelani, while Ohio, Illinois, Arizona recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 25 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Jaelani
The name Jaelani is of Arabic origin, derived from the word "Jilan" which means "brightness" or "radiance." It is believed to have originated in the Middle East during the 7th century AD, around the time of the rise of Islam.
The earliest recorded use of the name Jaelani can be traced back to Imam Abdul Qadir al-Jilani, a renowned Sufi mystic and scholar who lived in the 12th century. He was born in the Persian province of Gilan, which is where the name is thought to have originated. Al-Jilani was the founder of the Qadiri Sufi order and is highly revered in the Islamic world for his teachings and contributions to Sufism.
Another notable figure with the name Jaelani is Jalal al-Din Muhammad Rumi, a 13th-century Persian poet, scholar, and Sufi mystic. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest poets in the Persian language and his works, such as the Masnavi, have had a profound influence on Islamic literature and spirituality.
In the 15th century, there was a famous Islamic scholar and jurist named Jalaluddin al-Suyuti, who was born in Cairo, Egypt. He was a prolific writer and is credited with writing over 500 works on various subjects, including Quranic exegesis, hadith, and Islamic jurisprudence.
Moving to the Indian subcontinent, one of the most revered figures with the name Jaelani was Shah Jalal al-Din al-Mujarrad al-Jilani, a 13th-century Sufi saint and spiritual leader. He is credited with spreading Islam in the region of Sylhet, which is now part of Bangladesh, and his shrine in Sylhet is a popular pilgrimage site.
In the modern era, one notable figure with the name Jaelani is Dr. Jaelani Abdul Qadir, an Iraqi-American physician and author who is known for his work in promoting health and wellness in the Muslim community. He has written several books on Islamic medicine and has been recognized for his efforts in bridging the gap between modern medicine and traditional Islamic healing practices.
The name Jaelani has a rich historical and cultural significance in the Islamic world, particularly within the Sufi tradition. It has been carried by many prominent scholars, mystics, and spiritual leaders over the centuries, and continues to be a popular name among Muslims around the world.
People
Jaelani + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jaelani 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
Jaelani: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jaelani?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 525 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jaelani 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 652,865 US residents.
Is Jaelani a common name?
We classify Jaelani as "Very Rare". It ranks above 85% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 528 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Jaelani most popular?
The single biggest year for Jaelani was 2024, when 103 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jaelani is about 7 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 Jaelani in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Jaelani a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Jaelani in the SSA data are female. 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 Jaelani still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Jaelani 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 Jaelani 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 are named Jaelani?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.