Jenille
A feminine name of unknown origin, possibly a combination of "Jen" and "Elle".
Name Census estimates that about 64 living Americans carry the first name Jenille. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Jenille today is around 45 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jenille births was 1981 (12 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jenille. 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 Jenille. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
64
~ 1 in 5,355,537 Americans
Peak year
1981
12 babies that year
Average age
45
years old
1986 SSA rank
#11,650
Tracked since 1976
Census
Jenille in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 141 people with the first name Jenille, which placed it at #46,868 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
#46,868
National first-name rank
People counted
141
141 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
34.8% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jenille
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Jenille is Black at 34.8%. The next largest groups are White (31.9%) and Hispanic (18.4%). 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 Jenille 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 Jenille at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American34.8% · 49
- White31.9% · 45
- Hispanic or Latino18.4% · 26
- Asian and Pacific Islander11.3% · 16
- Two or more races2.8% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 1
Popularity
Jenille: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Jenille from the 1970s through to the 1980s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 51 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Jenille 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 Jenille during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Jenilles live
Origin
Meaning and history of Jenille
The name Jenille is a unique and intriguing one, with its origins shrouded in mystery and intrigue. It is believed to have its roots in the ancient Celtic language, emerging from the misty hills and verdant valleys of what is now known as Ireland and Scotland.
While the exact derivation of Jenille remains uncertain, some scholars posit that it may be a variation of the Irish name Sinéad, which itself has its origins in the Old Irish name Sinnéin. This name is thought to be derived from the word "sin" meaning "old" or "venerable," suggesting a connection to wisdom, age, and respect.
Others suggest that Jenille may have evolved from the Welsh name Gwendolen, which has its roots in the Celtic words "gwen" meaning "fair" or "white," and "dolen" meaning "ring" or "circle." This interpretation lends a sense of beauty and wholeness to the name.
Despite its elusive beginnings, Jenille has made its mark in history, with a handful of notable individuals bearing this unique moniker. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the 12th century, when a Jenille de Montfort was mentioned in the chronicles of the Crusades.
In the realm of arts and literature, Jenille Gauthier, a French poet and novelist born in 1892, left an indelible mark with her poignant works that explored themes of love, loss, and the human condition.
Moving into the 20th century, Jenille Townsend, an American activist and educator born in 1920, dedicated her life to promoting civil rights and advocating for equal opportunities in education.
Across the Atlantic, Jenille Markham, a British entrepreneur born in 1965, made waves in the business world with her innovative approach to sustainable fashion and ethical manufacturing practices.
Finally, Jenille Fernandes, a Brazilian musician and composer born in 1980, has captivated audiences around the world with her unique fusion of traditional Brazilian rhythms and contemporary musical styles.
While the name Jenille may be rare, its rich tapestry of history and cultural significance serves as a testament to the enduring power of names to capture the essence of those who bear them.
People
Jenille + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jenille 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
Jenille: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jenille?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 64 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jenille 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 5,355,537 US residents.
Is Jenille a common name?
We classify Jenille as "Very Rare". It ranks above 58% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 69 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Jenille most popular?
The single biggest year for Jenille was 1981, when 12 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jenille is about 45 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Jenille in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 141 people with the name Jenille, or 0.05 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #46,868 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 Jenille 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 Jenille?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Jenille appears almost entirely female. Of the 143 people counted with this name, 99.3% 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 Jenille?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Jenille is Black at 34.8%. The next largest groups are White (31.9%) and Hispanic (18.4%). 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 Jenille most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Jenille in the 2020 Census, accounting for 34.8% (49 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 Jenille in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Jenille a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Jenille 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 Jenille still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Jenille 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 Jenille 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 named Jenille?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people share the name Jenille at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.