Jedidiah
A masculine name of Hebrew origin meaning "beloved of God".
Name Census estimates that about 8,900 living Americans carry the first name Jedidiah. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Jedidiah today is around 21 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jedidiah births was 2017 (362 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jedidiah. 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
8.9K
~ 1 in 38,512 Americans
Peak year
2017
362 babies that year
Average age
21
years old
2024 SSA rank
#808
Tracked since 1971
Gender
Gender distribution for Jedidiah
Out of the 9,075 babies given the name Jedidiah since 1880, 99.6% were registered as male. The name sits firmly on the male side of the spectrum, with only a handful of female registrations across the entire dataset.
Jedidiah as a male name
- Ranked #808 in 2024
- 310 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2017 (362 births)
Jedidiah as a female name
- Ranked #14,159 in 2020
- 6 female births in 2020
- Peak: 2008 (7 births)
Popularity
Jedidiah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Jedidiah from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 2,993 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Jedidiah remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Jedidiah 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 Jedidiah during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Jedidiahs live
The SSA's state-level files cover 41 states and territories. California, Texas, New York recorded the most babies named Jedidiah, while West Virginia, Nevada, New Mexico recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 148 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Jedidiah
The name Jedidiah is of Hebrew origin, derived from the Hebrew words "yadid" meaning "beloved" and "Yah" which is a shortened form of the Hebrew name for God, Yahweh or Jehovah. The name can be translated to mean "beloved of God" or "friend of God."
The earliest known use of the name Jedidiah can be traced back to the Old Testament of the Bible, where it was given as a symbolic name to King Solomon by the prophet Nathan, as mentioned in 2 Samuel 12:25. This biblical reference suggests that the name was in use among the ancient Israelites during the 10th century BCE.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Jedidiah was Jedidiah Morse, an American congregational minister, geographer, and father of American geography, who lived from 1761 to 1826. He is known for his significant contributions to the field of geography and for publishing several influential works, including the first American geography textbook.
Another notable figure with the name Jedidiah was Jedidiah Strutt, an English inventor and industrialist from the 18th century, born in 1726 and died in 1797. He is credited with innovations in the cotton-spinning industry and the development of the Derby Rib Machine, which revolutionized the production of ribbed stockings.
In the 19th century, Jedidiah Leavitt, an American sailor and whaler, gained fame for his daring exploits and survival stories. He was born in 1783 and died in 1848, and his adventures were documented in the book "Leavitt's Old Truck" published in 1859.
Jedidiah Hotchkiss, an American military engineer and topographer, played a significant role during the American Civil War. Born in 1828 and died in 1899, he is renowned for his detailed maps and surveys, which were instrumental in many battles and campaigns during the conflict.
Jedidiah Buxton, an English philanthropist and social reformer, lived from 1707 to 1772. He is remembered for his efforts in establishing schools and promoting education for the underprivileged, as well as his advocacy for the abolition of slavery and the improvement of prison conditions.
People
Jedidiah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jedidiah 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
Jedidiah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jedidiah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 8,900 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jedidiah 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 38,512 US residents.
Is Jedidiah a common name?
We classify Jedidiah as "Rare". It ranks above 97.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 9,075 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Jedidiah most popular?
The single biggest year for Jedidiah was 2017, when 362 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jedidiah is about 21 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Jedidiah a male name?
Yes, 99.6% of people registered as Jedidiah 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.
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.