Jeralyn
An English feminine name derived from the names Jeremiah and Elyyn.
Name Census estimates that about 1,038 living Americans carry the first name Jeralyn. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Jeralyn today is around 47 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jeralyn births was 1961 (28 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jeralyn. 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
1.0K
~ 1 in 330,206 Americans
Peak year
1961
28 babies that year
Average age
47
years old
2020 SSA rank
#12,719
Tracked since 1930
Popularity
Jeralyn: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Jeralyn from the 1930s through to the 2020s, spanning 10 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 218 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1960s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Jeralyn 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 Jeralyn during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Jeralyns live
The SSA's state-level files cover 7 states and territories. California, Oregon, New York recorded the most babies named Jeralyn, while Pennsylvania, Illinois, Colorado recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 9 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Jeralyn
The name Jeralyn is a unique blend of two distinct names: Jera and Lyn. Its origins can be traced back to ancient Germanic tribes, where the name Jera was derived from the Old Norse word "ár," meaning "year" or "good harvest." This connection to agricultural cycles and bountiful yields suggests that the name may have held significance in ancient pagan traditions.
In the early medieval period, the name Jera was sometimes anglicized as "Gera" or "Geralyn." The addition of the suffix "lyn," which has roots in both Germanic and Celtic languages, likely served to feminize the name and give it a more melodic quality.
While the name Jeralyn does not appear in any major religious texts or historical records from antiquity, it is believed to have emerged as a distinct name in its own right during the Middle Ages. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the annals of a small monastery in modern-day Germany, where a nun named Jeralyn is mentioned as having lived in the late 12th century.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Jeralyn. In the 16th century, Jeralyn Woodbridge was a renowned herbalist and midwife in England, whose expertise in natural remedies and childbirth practices earned her widespread respect. Another Jeralyn of note was Jeralyn Beaumont (1598-1673), a French noblewoman and patron of the arts, who was known for her support of emerging artists and poets during the Renaissance.
In more recent times, Jeralyn Franklin (1876-1962) was an American educator and civil rights activist who fought tirelessly for equal access to education for African American children in the segregated South. Jeralyn Wilcox (1907-1998), on the other hand, was a pioneering aviator and one of the first women to obtain a commercial pilot's license in the United States.
Another notable figure was Jeralyn Morse (1919-2008), a British botanist and conservationist who dedicated her life to the preservation of rare and endangered plant species. Her groundbreaking research and advocacy efforts played a crucial role in raising awareness about the importance of biodiversity and sustainable practices.
While the name Jeralyn may not be as common as some other names, it carries a rich historical legacy that spans centuries and cultures. Its unique blend of Germanic and Celtic elements, coupled with its association with nature, harvest, and feminine strength, make it a name that continues to captivate and intrigue.
People
Jeralyn + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jeralyn 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
Jeralyn: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jeralyn?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,038 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jeralyn 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 330,206 US residents.
Is Jeralyn a common name?
We classify Jeralyn as "Rare". It ranks above 90.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,328 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Jeralyn most popular?
The single biggest year for Jeralyn was 1961, when 28 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jeralyn is about 47 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Jeralyn a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Jeralyn 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.