Jamarkus
Masculine name combining "Ja" from "Jacob" and "markus" from German for "mallet".
Name Census estimates that about 600 living Americans carry the first name Jamarkus. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Jamarkus today is around 24 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jamarkus births was 2009 (33 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jamarkus. 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
600
~ 1 in 571,257 Americans
Peak year
2009
33 babies that year
Average age
24
years old
2023 SSA rank
#8,512
Tracked since 1985
Census
Jamarkus in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 443 people with the first name Jamarkus, which placed it at #22,452 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
#22,452
National first-name rank
People counted
443
443 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
91.2% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jamarkus
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Jamarkus is Black at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (2.3%). 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 Jamarkus 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 Jamarkus at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American91.2% · 404
- Two or more races4.5% · 20
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 10
- White2.0% · 9
Popularity
Jamarkus: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Jamarkus from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 216 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Jamarkus 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 Jamarkus during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Jamarkus' live
The SSA's state-level files cover 6 states and territories. Texas, Alabama, Georgia recorded the most babies named Jamarkus, while North Carolina, Mississippi, Louisiana recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 20 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Jamarkus
The given name Jamarkus has its origins rooted in a combination of African and American cultures, emerging as a creative variation on more traditional names. Its etymology can be traced back to the late 20th century, when it began to gain popularity among certain communities, particularly in the southern regions of the United States.
While the name itself does not have a direct linguistic or historical reference point, it is believed to be a fusion of two distinct elements. The prefix "Ja" is likely derived from the popular African-American name "Jamal," which has Arabic roots and means "beauty" or "beautiful." The latter part, "markus," bears a resemblance to the Latin name "Marcus," which has its origins in the Roman name "Mars," the god of war.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Jamarkus can be found in various birth records and personal accounts from the 1980s and 1990s. However, it is important to note that the name's widespread use and recognition are relatively recent phenomena.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have carried the name Jamarkus, contributing to its increasing visibility and acceptance. One such individual is Jamarkus McFarland, a former American football player who competed in the National Football League (NFL) from 2008 to 2013. Born in 1986, McFarland played for teams like the Kansas City Chiefs and the Detroit Lions.
Another prominent figure with the name Jamarkus is Jamarkus Miner, a former professional basketball player from the United States. Miner, born in 1983, played in various leagues, including the NBA G League and international competitions, during his career spanning the early 2000s.
In the realm of music, Jamarkus Dubose is a notable singer and songwriter from the United States. Born in 1992, Dubose has gained recognition for his soulful and introspective musical style, releasing several acclaimed albums and singles.
The name Jamarkus has also found representation in the literary world, with Jamarkus Ansley being an American author and poet. Born in 1978, Ansley has published several collections of poetry and prose, exploring themes of identity, cultural expression, and social commentary.
It is worth mentioning that while the name Jamarkus has gained traction in recent decades, particularly within certain communities, it remains a relatively uncommon and unique name globally. Its popularity reflects the ever-evolving nature of naming traditions and the constant interplay between cultural influences and personal preferences.
People
Jamarkus + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jamarkus 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
Jamarkus: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jamarkus?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 600 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jamarkus 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 571,257 US residents.
Is Jamarkus a common name?
We classify Jamarkus as "Very Rare". It ranks above 86.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 611 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Jamarkus most popular?
The single biggest year for Jamarkus was 2009, when 33 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jamarkus is about 24 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Jamarkus in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 443 people with the name Jamarkus, or 0.15 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #22,452 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 Jamarkus 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 Jamarkus?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Jamarkus appears almost entirely male. Of the 442 people counted with this name, 99.1% were male and only a very small share were female. 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 Jamarkus?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Jamarkus is Black at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (2.3%). 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 Jamarkus most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Jamarkus in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.2% (404 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 Jamarkus in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Jamarkus a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Jamarkus 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 Jamarkus still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Jamarkus 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 Jamarkus 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 share the name Jamarkus?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.