Jencie
A feminine name derived from the French root meaning "good-natured" or "gentle".
Name Census estimates that about 10 living Americans carry the first name Jencie. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Jencie today is around 42 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jencie births was 1892 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jencie. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Jencie. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
10
~ 1 in 34,275,434 Americans
Peak year
1892
6 babies that year
Average age
42
years old
2008 SSA rank
#18,782
Tracked since 1892
Popularity
Jencie: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Jencie from the 1890s through to the 2000s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1890s, with 11 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1890s peak, Jencie remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Jencie 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 Jencie 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 Jencie
The name Jencie is a rather obscure one, and its origins are somewhat shrouded in mystery. Some scholars believe it may have roots in the Old English language, derived from a combination of the words "jen" meaning "fair" and "cie" meaning "meadow." This would suggest that the name Jencie originally referred to a beautiful, pastoral setting.
Others trace the name's lineage to the ancient Germanic tribes of central Europe, where it may have been a variation of the name "Guntia," which was derived from the word "gunds," meaning "battle." If this etymology is correct, Jencie would have been a name bestowed upon a fierce warrior or a child born during a time of conflict.
Despite its uncertain origins, the name Jencie has appeared sporadically throughout history, albeit in limited numbers. One of the earliest recorded instances is found in a 12th-century monastic chronicle, which mentions a nun named Jencie who resided in a convent in what is now southern Germany.
In the 15th century, a noblewoman named Jencie von Lichtenstein lived in what is now Austria. She was known for her philanthropic works and for establishing a hospital for the poor in her region.
During the Renaissance, a Venetian painter named Jencie Bellini (1470-1516) gained some renown for her portraits of wealthy patrons. Her works can still be found in several Italian art galleries.
In the 19th century, a French author named Jencie Dumas (1820-1882) wrote a series of popular novels that explored themes of love, betrayal, and societal norms.
More recently, a British actress named Jencie Wilkins (1935-2002) enjoyed a successful career on the stage and in television, particularly in period dramas set in the Victorian era.
While the name Jencie has never been widely popular, its unique sound and elusive origins have undoubtedly contributed to its enduring mystique over the centuries.
People
Jencie + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jencie 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
Jencie: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jencie?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 10 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jencie 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 34,275,434 US residents.
Is Jencie a common name?
We classify Jencie as "Very Rare". It ranks above 28.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 32 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Jencie most popular?
The single biggest year for Jencie was 1892, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jencie is about 42 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Jencie a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Jencie 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.