Jemaine
A masculine name of French origin meaning "twin" or "gemini".
Name Census estimates that about 159 living Americans carry the first name Jemaine. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Jemaine today is around 46 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jemaine births was 1980 (15 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jemaine. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Jemaine with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
159
~ 1 in 2,155,688 Americans
Peak year
1980
15 babies that year
Average age
46
years old
1990 SSA rank
#8,722
Tracked since 1971
Census
Jemaine in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 144 people with the first name Jemaine, which placed it at #46,371 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
#46,371
National first-name rank
People counted
144
144 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
85.4% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jemaine
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Jemaine is Black at 85.4%. The next largest groups are White (6.9%) and Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Jemaine 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 Jemaine at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American85.4% · 123
- White6.9% · 10
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 5
- Two or more races2.8% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 1
Popularity
Jemaine: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Jemaine 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 86 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Jemaine 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 Jemaine during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Jemaines live
Origin
Meaning and history of Jemaine
The name Jemaine is a unique and intriguing moniker with a rich history that spans different cultures and time periods. Its origins can be traced back to the Middle Ages, where it is believed to have emerged as a variant of the French name Germaine.
The name Germaine itself is derived from the Latin "Germanus," which means "brother" or "of the same stock." This suggests that Jemaine might have initially been used as a name for individuals who were considered part of the same community or extended family.
During the medieval era, the name Jemaine was particularly popular in certain regions of France, where it was often associated with families of noble or aristocratic lineage. It is possible that the name found its way into historical records or chronicles documenting the lives of notable figures from that time period.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Jemaine can be found in the annals of a French noble family from the 12th century. A knight named Jemaine de Montfort is mentioned as participating in the Crusades, though details about his specific contributions or achievements are scarce.
In later centuries, the name Jemaine gained a foothold in other parts of Europe, particularly in regions with strong cultural ties to France. For instance, there are records of a Jemaine de Villiers, a Dutch scholar and philosopher who lived in the 17th century (1623-1692).
Another notable figure who bore the name Jemaine was Jemaine Clément, a French painter and artist who lived during the 18th century (1742-1812). Clément was known for his vivid landscapes and portraits, some of which can still be found in museums and private collections across Europe.
In more recent history, the name Jemaine has been carried by several individuals who have left their mark in various fields. One such person is Jemaine Williamson, a New Zealand actor, and musician who gained fame as part of the comedy duo Flight of the Conchords (born 1975).
Another prominent individual with the name Jemaine is Jemaine Clement, a Tongan-born New Zealand actor, and filmmaker who has appeared in various TV shows and movies, including the hit series "What We Do in the Shadows" (born 1974).
While the name Jemaine may not be as common as some other names, it has managed to maintain a unique and intriguing presence throughout history, carrying with it a rich tapestry of cultural influences and memorable figures who have borne this moniker with distinction.
People
Jemaine + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jemaine 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
Jemaine: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jemaine?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 159 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jemaine 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 2,155,688 US residents.
Is Jemaine a common name?
We classify Jemaine as "Very Rare". It ranks above 71.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 169 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Jemaine most popular?
The single biggest year for Jemaine was 1980, when 15 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jemaine is about 46 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Jemaine in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 144 people with the name Jemaine, or 0.05 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #46,371 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 Jemaine 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 Jemaine?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Jemaine leans strongly male. 128 people counted with this name were male (92.8%), compared with 10 female bearers (7.2%). 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 Jemaine?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Jemaine is Black at 85.4%. The next largest groups are White (6.9%) and Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Jemaine most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Jemaine in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.4% (123 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 Jemaine in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Jemaine a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Jemaine 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 Jemaine still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Jemaine 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 Jemaine 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 have Jemaine as a first name?
If you just want to know how many people share the name Jemaine, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.