Jenine
A feminine name of Arabic origin meaning "paradise garden".
Name Census estimates that about 1,926 living Americans carry the first name Jenine. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Jenine today is around 50 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jenine births was 1970 (87 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jenine. 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
1.9K
~ 1 in 177,962 Americans
Peak year
1970
87 babies that year
Average age
50
years old
2024 SSA rank
#14,187
Tracked since 1932
Popularity
Jenine: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Jenine from the 1930s through to the 2020s, spanning 10 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 659 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Jenine 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 Jenine during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Jenines live
The SSA's state-level files cover 7 states and territories. New York, California, Pennsylvania recorded the most babies named Jenine, while Illinois, Ohio, Michigan recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 120 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Jenine
The name Jenine is a variant of the French feminine name Jeanine, which is derived from the French masculine name Jean. Jean, in turn, is a French form of the Hebrew name Yohanan or Johanan, meaning "Yahweh is gracious" or "God is gracious." The name Yohanan was widely used among Jews in ancient times and is found in the Bible, particularly in the Book of Nehemiah.
The origins of the name Jenine can be traced back to the Middle Ages when the French form Jean gained popularity in Europe. During the medieval period, the name Jean was commonly used by both men and women, with Jeanne being the feminine form. Over time, variations of the name emerged, including Jeanine and its variant Jenine.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Jenine can be found in historical records from the 16th century, where it was used by a French woman named Jenine de Montfort (1520-1589). Another notable figure with this name was Jenine de Valois (1556-1622), a French noblewoman who served as a lady-in-waiting to Queen Catherine de' Medici.
In the 17th century, the name Jenine gained some popularity in certain regions of France, particularly in the northern and central parts of the country. During this time, a French poet and writer named Jenine Lefèvre (1630-1698) gained recognition for her works, which included poetry and plays.
Moving into the 18th century, the name Jenine became more widely used across Europe, with notable individuals including Jenine Dupont (1712-1789), a French artist known for her portraits and landscapes. In the 19th century, the name continued to be used, with one example being Jenine Dumas (1812-1890), a French novelist and playwright.
Another notable figure with the name Jenine was Jenine Mercier (1901-1976), a French actress and singer who appeared in several films during the 1930s and 1940s. More recently, in the 20th century, Jenine Bazin (1920-2011) was a French historian and author known for her works on medieval history and literature.
People
Jenine + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jenine 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
Jenine: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jenine?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,926 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jenine 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 177,962 US residents.
Is Jenine a common name?
We classify Jenine as "Rare". It ranks above 93.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,257 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Jenine most popular?
The single biggest year for Jenine was 1970, when 87 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jenine is about 50 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Jenine a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Jenine 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.