Jannifer
Variant of the feminine name Jennifer, derived from the English form of the Welsh name Gwenhwyfar, meaning "fair, smooth, white spirit".
Name Census estimates that about 720 living Americans carry the first name Jannifer. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Jannifer today is around 53 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jannifer births was 1981 (31 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jannifer. 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
720
~ 1 in 476,048 Americans
Peak year
1981
31 babies that year
Average age
53
years old
2001 SSA rank
#16,393
Tracked since 1944
Popularity
Jannifer: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Jannifer from the 1940s through to the 2000s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 219 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
Jannifer 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 Jannifer during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Jannifers live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. California, Louisiana, New York recorded the most babies named Jannifer, while New York, Louisiana, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 12 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Jannifer
The name Jannifer has its origins in ancient Sumerian culture, dating back to around 3500 BCE. It is believed to be derived from the Sumerian words "jan" meaning "life" and "nifer" meaning "abundance." This combination suggests that the name carries a meaning of "abundant life" or "plentiful living." The name was initially used by the Sumerians who inhabited the region of Mesopotamia, which is now part of modern-day Iraq.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Jannifer can be found in cuneiform inscriptions on clay tablets from the ancient city of Ur, a significant cultural center in Sumerian civilization. These inscriptions mention a high priestess named Jannifer who served in the temple of the moon god Nanna around 2600 BCE.
In the centuries that followed, the name continued to be used sporadically across various cultures in the Middle East and Mediterranean regions. It is mentioned in a few ancient Greek texts, though it remained relatively obscure until the late Roman period.
During the Byzantine era, around the 5th century CE, a notable figure named Jannifer of Constantinople gained recognition as a influential scholar and philosopher. Her writings on ethics and metaphysics were widely studied in academic circles of the time.
In the 12th century, a prominent Crusader knight from France, Jannifer de Montfort, played a significant role in the Third Crusade. Historical accounts describe his bravery and leadership during the siege of Acre in 1191.
Another noteworthy bearer of the name was Jannifer al-Andalusi, a renowned poet and mathematician from the Moorish civilization in Andalusia, Spain, who lived during the 13th century. Her works on algebra and poetic verse were highly influential in the Islamic golden age of learning.
In the 16th century, Jannifer Boleyn, a distant relative of Anne Boleyn, gained recognition as a talented artist and patron of the arts during the English Renaissance. Her portraits and landscapes were praised by contemporaries and are still displayed in prestigious galleries today.
Despite its ancient roots and scattered appearances throughout history, the name Jannifer remained relatively uncommon until more recent times. Its unique sound and intriguing origins have contributed to its enduring appeal and occasional resurgence in various cultures and regions around the world.
People
Jannifer + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jannifer 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
Jannifer: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jannifer?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 720 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jannifer 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 476,048 US residents.
Is Jannifer a common name?
We classify Jannifer as "Very Rare". It ranks above 87.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 855 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Jannifer most popular?
The single biggest year for Jannifer was 1981, when 31 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jannifer is about 53 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Jannifer a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Jannifer 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.
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.