Jefte
A masculine name of Hebrew origin meaning "he will add" or "expanse".
Name Census estimates that about 151 living Americans carry the first name Jefte. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Jefte today is around 18 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jefte births was 2007 (13 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jefte. 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
151
~ 1 in 2,269,896 Americans
Peak year
2007
13 babies that year
Average age
18
years old
2024 SSA rank
#9,352
Tracked since 1988
Census
Jefte in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 266 people with the first name Jefte, which placed it at #31,950 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
#31,950
National first-name rank
People counted
266
266 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Hispanic or Latino
85.0% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jefte
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Jefte is Hispanic at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Black (7.1%) and White (5.3%). 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 Jefte 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 Jefte at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino85.0% · 226
- Black or African American7.1% · 19
- White5.3% · 14
- Two or more races1.1% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 2
Popularity
Jefte: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Jefte from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 71 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Jefte 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 Jefte during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Jeftes live
Origin
Meaning and history of Jefte
The name Jefte is a fascinating one with roots that can be traced back to ancient Hebrew. It is derived from the biblical figure Jephthah, a prominent judge of Israel mentioned in the Book of Judges. The name Jephthah is believed to come from the Hebrew words "yiftah" and "pathach," which together mean "he will open" or "opener."
In the Bible, Jephthah is described as a mighty warrior who led the Israelites in their battle against the Ammonites. His story is recounted in Judges 11-12, where he is depicted as a skilled military leader who made a vow to God that ultimately led to the sacrifice of his daughter.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Jefte can be found in ancient Hebrew texts and biblical accounts. However, it was not until later periods that the name gained popularity among various cultures and populations.
One of the earliest known historical figures to bear the name Jefte was Jefte de Burgos, a Spanish Jew who converted to Christianity in the 15th century and became a prominent theologian and philosopher. He lived from around 1350 to 1419 and played a significant role in the intellectual and religious debates of his time.
Another notable individual named Jefte was Jefte Arnáez, a Spanish painter and sculptor who lived from 1840 to 1906. He was known for his religious works and contributed to the decoration of numerous churches and cathedrals in Spain.
In the 16th century, Jefte Bogaert, a Flemish painter and engraver, gained recognition for his intricate and detailed works depicting biblical scenes and historical events. He was active from around 1550 to 1615.
Moving to the 19th century, Jefte de Alvarenga was a Brazilian poet and journalist who made significant contributions to the Romantic literary movement in Brazil. He lived from 1835 to 1897 and his works explored themes of love, nature, and patriotism.
Finally, in more recent history, Jefte Ledesma was a Peruvian football player who represented his country in the 1970 FIFA World Cup. He played as a midfielder and was part of the Peruvian national team during the golden era of their football in the 1970s.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals who have borne the name Jefte throughout history, each leaving their mark in various fields and disciplines.
People
Jefte + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jefte 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
Jefte: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jefte?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 151 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jefte 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 2,269,896 US residents.
Is Jefte a common name?
We classify Jefte as "Very Rare". It ranks above 70.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 153 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Jefte most popular?
The single biggest year for Jefte was 2007, when 13 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jefte is about 18 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Jefte in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 266 people with the name Jefte, or 0.09 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #31,950 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 Jefte 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 Jefte?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Jefte appears almost entirely male. Of the 257 people counted with this name, 99.6% 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 Jefte?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Jefte is Hispanic at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Black (7.1%) and White (5.3%). 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 Jefte most often in the Census?
Hispanic is the largest reported group for people named Jefte in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.0% (226 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 Jefte in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Jefte a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Jefte 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 Jefte still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Jefte 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 Jefte 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 Jefte?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.