Jenalee
A feminine name of uncertain origin, possibly derived from the French name Geneviève.
Name Census estimates that about 444 living Americans carry the first name Jenalee. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Jenalee today is around 31 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jenalee births was 1986 (33 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jenalee. 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
444
~ 1 in 771,969 Americans
Peak year
1986
33 babies that year
Average age
31
years old
2019 SSA rank
#16,603
Tracked since 1973
Census
Jenalee in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 410 people with the first name Jenalee, which placed it at #23,765 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
#23,765
National first-name rank
People counted
410
410 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
76.8% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jenalee
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Jenalee is White at 76.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (13.7%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Jenalee 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 Jenalee at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.8% · 315
- Hispanic or Latino13.7% · 56
- Two or more races4.1% · 17
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.7% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 5
- Black or African American0.5% · 2
Popularity
Jenalee: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Jenalee from the 1970s through to the 2010s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 203 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1980s peak, Jenalee remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Jenalee 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 Jenalee during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Jenalees live
Origin
Meaning and history of Jenalee
The name Jenalee is a unique and intriguing one, with its origins shrouded in mystery and uncertainty. While its exact etymology remains unclear, some scholars believe it may have roots in ancient Celtic or Germanic languages, where similar-sounding names were once prevalent.
One theory suggests that Jenalee may be derived from the Old English word "gena," which means "to open" or "to reveal." This could indicate that the name was initially bestowed upon individuals who possessed an open or revealing nature, or perhaps those who were born during the blossoming of spring when nature itself opens and reveals its beauty.
Another possible origin lies in the Gaelic language, where the name "Jenàile" was once used. This name is thought to be a combination of the elements "jen" and "àile," which translate to "fire" and "breath," respectively. If this is indeed the source of Jenalee, it could imply a connection to passionate or fiery qualities, or perhaps to the very essence of life itself, as represented by the breath.
While historical records containing the name Jenalee are scarce, there are a few notable individuals who have borne this unique moniker throughout the ages. One such figure is Jenalee of Ravenna, a 5th-century noblewoman known for her patronage of the arts and her dedication to preserving ancient manuscripts during the tumultuous times of the Fall of the Roman Empire.
In the 12th century, there was Jenalee the Scribe, a renowned calligrapher and illuminator of manuscripts in the Benedictine monasteries of northern Italy. Her intricate and beautiful works were highly sought after by nobles and clergy alike, and her name became synonymous with artistic excellence.
Fast-forwarding to the 16th century, we encounter Jenalee de la Croix, a French Renaissance poet whose works explored themes of love, nature, and the human condition. Her poems were widely circulated among the literary circles of her time and are still studied by scholars today.
In the 19th century, Jenalee Nightingale was a pioneering nurse and social reformer in England, known for her efforts to improve healthcare standards and sanitary conditions in hospitals during the Crimean War. Her tireless work and compassion earned her the moniker "The Lady with the Lamp."
Finally, in the early 20th century, Jenalee Radcliffe was a renowned British archaeologist and explorer, whose daring expeditions to uncover ancient civilizations in the Middle East and North Africa captivated the public imagination. Her discoveries and writings contributed significantly to our understanding of these cultures and their histories.
While the name Jenalee may be shrouded in mystery, its unique sound and the remarkable individuals who have borne it throughout history have undoubtedly left an indelible mark on the cultural tapestry of our world.
People
Jenalee + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jenalee 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
Jenalee: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jenalee?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 444 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jenalee 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 771,969 US residents.
Is Jenalee a common name?
We classify Jenalee as "Very Rare". It ranks above 83.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 461 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Jenalee most popular?
The single biggest year for Jenalee was 1986, when 33 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jenalee is about 31 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Jenalee in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 410 people with the name Jenalee, or 0.14 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #23,765 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 Jenalee 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 Jenalee?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Jenalee appears almost entirely female. Of the 412 people counted with this name, 99.5% were female and only a very small share were male. 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 Jenalee?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Jenalee is White at 76.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (13.7%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Jenalee most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Jenalee in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.8% (315 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 Jenalee in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Jenalee a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Jenalee 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.
Is Jenalee still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Jenalee 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 Jenalee 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 Americans are named Jenalee?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.