Jamain
An Arabic masculine name meaning "collection" or "combination".
Name Census estimates that about 54 living Americans carry the first name Jamain. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Jamain today is around 44 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jamain births was 1972 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jamain. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Jamain with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Jamain. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
54
~ 1 in 6,347,303 Americans
Peak year
1972
8 babies that year
Average age
44
years old
2004 SSA rank
#9,339
Tracked since 1972
Census
Jamain in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 130 people with the first name Jamain, which placed it at #48,722 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#48,722
National first-name rank
People counted
130
130 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
79.2% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jamain
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Jamain is Black at 79.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.0%) and White (7.7%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Jamain described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Jamain at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American79.2% · 103
- Hispanic or Latino10.0% · 13
- White7.7% · 10
- Two or more races3.1% · 4
Popularity
Jamain: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Jamain from the 1970s through to the 2000s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 32 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Jamain 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 Jamain during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Jamain
The name Jamain is a relatively uncommon given name with a fascinating history. Its origins can be traced back to the ancient Persian language, where it is derived from the word "jām," meaning "cup" or "chalice." This suggests that the name may have initially been associated with individuals involved in the production or trade of these vessels.
During the height of the Persian Empire, which spanned from the 6th century BCE to the 7th century CE, the name Jamain likely held cultural significance and was bestowed upon individuals of noble birth or those with close ties to the royal court. Its connection to the symbolic chalice further solidifies its potential link to the upper echelons of Persian society.
As the Persian Empire expanded its influence across the Middle East and Central Asia, the name Jamain may have spread to neighboring regions, where it potentially underwent variations in spelling and pronunciation. However, its earliest recorded appearances are found in ancient Persian texts and inscriptions, solidifying its deep-rooted origins in that culture.
One of the earliest known individuals with the name Jamain was a prominent Persian scholar and poet who lived during the 9th century CE. While his exact birth and death dates are uncertain, his legacy remains through his contributions to the development of Persian literature and poetry during the Islamic Golden Age.
In the 12th century, a notable figure named Jamain ibn al-Husayn emerged as a renowned Islamic scholar and theologian. Born in present-day Iran, he authored several influential works on Islamic jurisprudence and played a significant role in shaping the intellectual discourse of his time.
Another historical figure bearing the name Jamain was a skilled architect who lived in the 14th century during the reign of the Timurid Empire. His architectural masterpieces, including stunning mosques and palaces, can still be admired in parts of modern-day Iran, Afghanistan, and Central Asia, serving as a testament to his talent and craftsmanship.
In the realm of military leadership, a commander named Jamain al-Din rose to prominence in the 16th century during the Ottoman Empire. His strategic prowess and bravery in battle earned him a distinguished reputation, and he is recorded in historical accounts as leading victorious campaigns against rival forces.
Finally, a lesser-known but fascinating figure named Jamain al-Hafiz lived in the 18th century and was renowned for his extraordinary memory and mastery of Islamic scriptures. He traveled extensively, reciting and teaching the Quran to diverse audiences, earning him the title "al-Hafiz," which translates to "the one who has memorized" in Arabic.
While the name Jamain may not be as widely recognized today, its rich historical legacy spans centuries and cultures, bearing witness to the diverse individuals who have borne this intriguing moniker throughout the ages.
People
Jamain + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jamain 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
Jamain: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jamain?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 54 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jamain 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 6,347,303 US residents.
Is Jamain a common name?
We classify Jamain as "Very Rare". It ranks above 55.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 57 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Jamain most popular?
The single biggest year for Jamain was 1972, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jamain is about 44 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Jamain in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 130 people with the name Jamain, or 0.04 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #48,722 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Jamain in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Jamain?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Jamain leans strongly male. 124 people counted with this name were male (90.5%), compared with 13 female bearers (9.5%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Jamain?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Jamain is Black at 79.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.0%) and White (7.7%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Jamain most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Jamain in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.2% (103 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Jamain in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Jamain a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Jamain 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 Jamain still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Jamain 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 Jamain 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.
How many people are named Jamain?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.