Jenilee
A modern feminine name, a combination of Jennifer and Lee.
Name Census estimates that about 762 living Americans carry the first name Jenilee. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Jenilee today is around 40 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jenilee births was 1982 (192 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jenilee. 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
762
~ 1 in 449,809 Americans
Peak year
1982
192 babies that year
Average age
40
years old
2012 SSA rank
#18,036
Tracked since 1980
Popularity
Jenilee: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Jenilee from the 1980s through to the 2010s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 656 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
Jenilee 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 Jenilee during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Jenilees live
The SSA's state-level files cover 16 states and territories. California, New York, Texas recorded the most babies named Jenilee, while Minnesota, Iowa, Hawaii recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 17 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Jenilee
The name Jenilee is a modern English variant of the French name Geneviève, which is derived from the Breton Celtic name Gwenafwy. Gwenafwy is composed of the elements "gwen" meaning "fair, white" and "aw" meaning "radiant, blessed." The name was introduced to France during the 5th century AD by Celtic Christian missionaries and saints.
The name Geneviève gained widespread popularity across Europe due to the veneration of the 5th-century saint, Sainte Geneviève, the patron saint of Paris. She is credited with leading the defense of the city against the Huns and is said to have performed numerous miracles. Her feast day is celebrated on January 3rd.
The earliest recorded use of the name Jenilee can be traced back to the late 20th century, where it emerged as a modern English variation of the traditional French name Geneviève. The addition of the suffix "-lee" was likely an attempt to create a more unique and distinctive name.
Historically, the name Jenilee does not appear to have been widely used, and there are few notable figures bearing this name. One of the earliest notable individuals with this name is Jenilee Harrison, an American actress, and model born in 1959. She is best known for her roles in various television shows and films throughout the 1970s and 1980s.
Another notable Jenilee is Jenilee Reyes, a Filipino singer, and actress born in 1986. She has appeared in several television shows and movies in the Philippines and has released several albums.
Jenilee Churchill, born in 1983, is a Canadian track and field athlete who has represented Canada in international competitions, specializing in the heptathlon and pentathlon events.
Jenilee Carr is an Australian author and illustrator of children's books, known for her work in promoting literacy and diversity in literature. She was born in 1978.
Jenilee Taylor is an American artist and painter, known for her abstract expressionist works. She was born in 1957 and has exhibited her art in various galleries across the United States.
While the name Jenilee is a relatively modern variation, it carries the essence of the centuries-old Celtic name Gwenafwy, evoking qualities of radiance, fairness, and blessedness. Despite its relatively recent emergence, it has gained popularity as a unique and distinctive name choice in various parts of the world.
Notable bearers
Famous people named Jenilee
People
Jenilee + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jenilee 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
Jenilee: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jenilee?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 762 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jenilee 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 449,809 US residents.
Is Jenilee a common name?
We classify Jenilee as "Very Rare". It ranks above 88.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 806 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Jenilee most popular?
The single biggest year for Jenilee was 1982, when 192 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jenilee is about 40 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Jenilee a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Jenilee 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.