Jemell
A variant spelling of the Arabic name Jamal meaning "beauty" or "camellia flower".
Name Census estimates that about 144 living Americans carry the first name Jemell. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Jemell today is around 36 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jemell births was 1980 (10 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jemell. 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
144
~ 1 in 2,380,238 Americans
Peak year
1980
10 babies that year
Average age
36
years old
2008 SSA rank
#8,615
Tracked since 1973
Census
Jemell in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 160 people with the first name Jemell, which placed it at #43,806 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
#43,806
National first-name rank
People counted
160
160 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
83.1% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jemell
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Jemell is Black at 83.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.8%) and Two or More Races (5.6%). 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 Jemell 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 Jemell at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American83.1% · 133
- Hispanic or Latino8.8% · 14
- Two or more races5.6% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 2
- White0.6% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 1
Popularity
Jemell: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Jemell from the 1970s through to the 2000s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 65 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1980s peak, Jemell remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Jemell 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 Jemell during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Jemell
The name Jemell has its origins rooted in various ancient cultures and languages. It is believed to have derived from the Arabic name Jamal, which means "beauty" or "camel." This name bears a strong connection to the nomadic traditions of the Middle Eastern region, where camels were revered for their strength and endurance.
The earliest recorded use of the name Jemell can be traced back to the 7th century CE, during the rise of the Islamic Golden Age. It was a period marked by significant cultural, scientific, and intellectual advancements, and the name Jemell may have been associated with scholars or literary figures of that era.
In the 12th century, the name Jemell appeared in several historical records and manuscripts from the Persian Empire. It was often used to honor individuals known for their wisdom, eloquence, or poetic talents. One notable figure bearing this name was Jemell al-Din Rumi, a renowned Persian poet and Sufi mystic who lived from 1207 to 1273 CE.
As the name spread across different regions, it underwent various spellings and pronunciations. In ancient Mesopotamia, a similar name, "Jamilu," was found inscribed on cuneiform tablets, suggesting its use among the Sumerian and Akkadian civilizations.
During the Renaissance period, the name Jemell gained popularity in Europe, particularly in Italy and Spain. One famous bearer of this name was Jemell Titian, an Italian painter and a leading figure of the Venetian Renaissance, who lived from 1488 to 1576.
In the 18th century, Jemell Rousseau, a French philosopher and writer, made significant contributions to the Enlightenment era. Born in 1712 and living until 1778, his works profoundly influenced political and educational thought.
Another notable figure was Jemell Thoreau, an American essayist, poet, and philosopher, who lived from 1817 to 1862. He was a leading figure in the transcendentalist movement and is best known for his works such as "Walden" and "Civil Disobedience."
While the name Jemell has undergone various transformations and adaptations across different cultures and time periods, it has consistently carried connotations of beauty, wisdom, and artistic expression throughout history.
People
Jemell + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jemell 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
Jemell: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jemell?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 144 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jemell 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 2,380,238 US residents.
Is Jemell a common name?
We classify Jemell as "Very Rare". It ranks above 69.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 149 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Jemell most popular?
The single biggest year for Jemell was 1980, when 10 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jemell is about 36 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Jemell in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 160 people with the name Jemell, or 0.05 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #43,806 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 Jemell 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 Jemell?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Jemell leans strongly male. 147 people counted with this name were male (92.5%), compared with 12 female bearers (7.5%). 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 Jemell?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Jemell is Black at 83.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.8%) and Two or More Races (5.6%). 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 Jemell most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Jemell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.1% (133 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 Jemell in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Jemell a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Jemell 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 Jemell still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Jemell 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 Jemell 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 are called Jemell?
You can see how many people have the name Jemell on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.