Jard
A diminutive French form of the Late Latin name Gerard meaning "brave with a spear".
Name Census estimates that about 6 living Americans carry the first name Jard. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Jard today is around 40 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jard births was 1984 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jard. 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 Jard. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
6
~ 1 in 57,125,723 Americans
Peak year
1984
6 babies that year
Average age
40
years old
1984 SSA rank
#5,898
Tracked since 1984
Popularity
Jard: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Jard 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 Jard during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 6 | 0 | 6 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Jard
The name Jard has its origins in ancient Germanic languages, where it is believed to have derived from the word "gard," meaning "enclosure" or "yard." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived within a fortified compound or village.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Jard can be traced back to the 8th century, where it appears in various medieval texts and records from regions that are now part of modern-day Germany and the Netherlands. It is possible that the name gained popularity among certain Germanic tribes or clans during this period.
One of the earliest known individuals to bear the name Jard was a Frankish nobleman and military commander who lived in the late 8th century. Records from the time suggest that he played a significant role in the campaigns of Charlemagne, the King of the Franks and the first ruler of the Holy Roman Empire.
In the 11th century, a monk named Jard von Regensburg was known for his scholarly works and contributions to the preservation of ancient texts. He spent much of his life in the renowned monastery of St. Emmeram in Regensburg, which was a center of learning and culture during the Middle Ages.
During the Renaissance period, a Italian painter named Jard Bellini, who lived from 1430 to 1516, gained recognition for his religious and mythological paintings. Some of his most notable works can still be found in churches and museums across Italy.
In the 17th century, a Dutch explorer named Jard van der Velde was part of an expedition that mapped and explored parts of the East Indies, which at the time was a highly sought-after region for trade and colonization. His detailed accounts and maps provided valuable information about the region's geography and indigenous cultures.
Another notable figure with the name Jard was a French philosopher and writer named Jard Descartes, who lived from 1596 to 1650. He is considered one of the founding figures of modern philosophy and is best known for his famous quote, "I think, therefore I am" (Cogito, ergo sum).
While the name Jard may not be as common today as it once was, it carries a rich history and has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, including noblemen, scholars, artists, explorers, and philosophers.
People
Jard + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jard 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
Jard: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jard?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 6 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jard 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 57,125,723 US residents.
Is Jard a common name?
We classify Jard as "Very Rare". It ranks above 22.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 6 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Jard most popular?
The single biggest year for Jard was 1984, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jard is about 40 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 Jard in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Jard a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Jard 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 Jard still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Jard 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 Jard 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 called Jard?
You can see how many Americans are named Jard on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.