Jamellah
A variant spelling of Jamila, an Arabic feminine name meaning "beautiful".
Name Census estimates that about 20 living Americans carry the first name Jamellah. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Jamellah today is around 45 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jamellah births was 1970 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jamellah. 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 Jamellah. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
20
~ 1 in 17,137,717 Americans
Peak year
1970
6 babies that year
Average age
45
years old
1995 SSA rank
#14,313
Tracked since 1970
Popularity
Jamellah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Jamellah from the 1970s through to the 1990s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 11 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1980s peak, Jamellah remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Jamellah 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 Jamellah 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 Jamellah
The name Jamellah is of Arabic origin and has roots that can be traced back to the 7th century. It is derived from the Arabic word "jamil," which means beautiful or lovely. The name was likely given to girls who were considered particularly beautiful or attractive at the time of their birth.
In the early days of Islam, the name Jamellah was not uncommon among Arab families, especially in regions where Arabic was the predominant language. It was a popular choice for parents who wanted to bestow upon their daughter a name that reflected her beauty and grace.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Jamellah can be found in the works of medieval Arab poets and writers. These literary works often depicted women with names like Jamellah as symbols of beauty and elegance, reflecting the cultural significance of the name during that time.
Throughout history, there have been several notable figures who bore the name Jamellah. One such figure was Jamellah bint Abi Sufyan, who lived in the 7th century and was the wife of the famous Muslim military commander, Khalid ibn al-Walid. She was known for her intelligence and piety, and her name became synonymous with the virtues of beauty and wisdom.
Another famous Jamellah was Jamellah al-Baghdadiyah, a renowned 9th-century Arab poet and scholar from Baghdad. Her poetry was widely celebrated for its eloquence and depth, and she was considered one of the most influential literary figures of her time.
In the 12th century, Jamellah bint Ismail al-Andalusiyah was a prominent Andalusian poet and calligrapher. Her works were highly regarded for their artistic merit and her mastery of the Arabic language.
During the 16th century, Jamellah bint Muhammad al-Maghribi was a respected scholar and teacher in Morocco. She was known for her expertise in Islamic jurisprudence and her contributions to the educational system of her time.
Another notable figure was Jamellah bint Yahya al-Azhariyah, an 18th-century Egyptian scholar and writer who was recognized for her knowledge of Islamic sciences and her contributions to the intellectual discourse of her era.
While the name Jamellah has its roots in the Arabic language and culture, it has since been adopted and used by various other communities around the world, each with their own unique cultural interpretations and associations with the name.
People
Jamellah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jamellah 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
Jamellah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jamellah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 20 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jamellah 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 17,137,717 US residents.
Is Jamellah a common name?
We classify Jamellah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 39.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 22 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Jamellah most popular?
The single biggest year for Jamellah was 1970, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jamellah is about 45 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 Jamellah in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Jamellah a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Jamellah 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 Jamellah still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Jamellah 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 Jamellah 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 Americans are named Jamellah?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.