Jenah
A feminine name of Arabic origin meaning "heaven" or "paradise".
Name Census estimates that about 464 living Americans carry the first name Jenah. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Jenah today is around 26 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jenah births was 2008 (32 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jenah. 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
464
~ 1 in 738,695 Americans
Peak year
2008
32 babies that year
Average age
26
years old
2019 SSA rank
#16,602
Tracked since 1980
Popularity
Jenah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Jenah from the 1980s through to the 2010s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 196 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Jenah remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Jenah 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 Jenah during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Jenahs live
Origin
Meaning and history of Jenah
The name Jenah is believed to have its origins in the Arabic language, where it is derived from the word "jennah," which means "paradise" or "garden." This name can be traced back to the 7th century, during the time of the rise of Islam in the Arabian Peninsula.
In Islamic tradition, the word "jennah" is often used to refer to the heavenly gardens promised to the righteous in the afterlife. It is a concept that holds significant importance in the Quran, the holy book of Islam, and is frequently mentioned as a reward for those who lead a virtuous life.
The earliest recorded use of the name Jenah can be found in historical records from the medieval period in the Middle East. One notable figure bearing this name was Jenah al-Baghdadi, a renowned scholar and philosopher who lived in Baghdad during the 9th century. She was known for her contributions to the fields of astronomy and mathematics.
Another historical figure with the name Jenah was Jenah al-Andalusi, a renowned poet and writer from the 11th century who hailed from the region of Andalusia, which was then under Muslim rule. Her works were widely celebrated for their lyrical beauty and profound insights.
In the 13th century, there was a notable figure named Jenah al-Dimashqi, who was a prominent jurist and scholar from Damascus. He was renowned for his expertise in Islamic law and his written works on the subject, which were widely studied and referenced by legal scholars of the time.
During the 15th century, a woman named Jenah al-Qahira lived in Cairo, Egypt, and was known for her skills as a calligrapher and illustrator. Her intricate and beautiful calligraphic works adorned many manuscripts and were highly sought after by collectors and patrons of the arts.
Another notable figure with the name Jenah was Jenah al-Maghribi, who lived in the 16th century and was a celebrated navigator and explorer from the Maghreb region of North Africa. He is credited with charting new trade routes and expanding the reach of maritime exploration during his time.
Throughout history, the name Jenah has been associated with individuals who have made significant contributions to various fields, including literature, arts, sciences, and exploration. Its Arabic roots and association with the concept of paradise have imbued it with a sense of beauty, spirituality, and aspiration.
People
Jenah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jenah 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
Jenah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jenah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 464 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jenah 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 738,695 US residents.
Is Jenah a common name?
We classify Jenah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 83.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 476 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Jenah most popular?
The single biggest year for Jenah was 2008, when 32 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jenah is about 26 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Jenah a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Jenah in the SSA data are female. 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.