Jerldean
Female name of English origin meaning "a pure or unsullied valley".
Name Census estimates that about 3 living Americans carry the first name Jerldean. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Jerldean today is around 88 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jerldean births was 1935 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jerldean. 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
- • The typical person named Jerldean is about 88 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Jerldeans were born before 1948.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Jerldean. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
3
~ 1 in 114,251,446 Americans
Peak year
1935
6 babies that year
Average age
88
years old
1943 SSA rank
#4,978
Tracked since 1935
Popularity
Jerldean: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Jerldean from the 1930s through to the 1940s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1930s, with 6 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
Jerldean 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 Jerldean 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 Jerldean
The name Jerldean is a relatively modern invention, originating in the late 19th or early 20th century. It does not have any clear linguistic roots or cultural origins, as it appears to be an entirely new construction. The name is likely a combination of the more common names Jeri and Dean, blended together to create a unique and distinctive feminine name.
There are no known ancient texts, religious scriptures, or historical records that mention the name Jerldean prior to the 20th century. Its emergence seems to coincide with the rise of more creative and individualized naming practices in certain parts of the English-speaking world.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Jerldean are found in various birth records and census data from the United States, starting around the early 1900s. However, it has remained an uncommon and relatively obscure name throughout its history.
One of the earliest known individuals with the name Jerldean was Jerldean Gillis, an American artist and painter who lived from 1912 to 1995. She was known for her landscapes and portrayals of daily life in the American South.
Another notable figure named Jerldean was Jerldean Wilson, an American educator and civil rights activist who lived from 1926 to 2006. She played a significant role in the desegregation of schools in Mississippi during the 1960s.
In the realm of literature, there was an American author named Jerldean Lowery, who wrote several books on African American history and culture in the latter half of the 20th century. Her works include "Lest We Forget: The Autobiography of a People" and "Black Heritage Commemorative Series."
One of the more recent individuals named Jerldean is Jerldean Jackson, an American singer and songwriter who has released several gospel and Christian music albums since the late 1990s.
While not a particularly common name, Jerldean has been carried by a small number of individuals throughout the 20th century, primarily in the United States. Despite its modern origins, it has managed to establish a presence, albeit a modest one, in various fields such as art, education, literature, and music.
People
Jerldean + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jerldean 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
Jerldean: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jerldean?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 3 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jerldean 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 114,251,446 US residents.
Is Jerldean a common name?
We classify Jerldean as "Very Rare". It ranks above 4.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 11 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Jerldean most popular?
The single biggest year for Jerldean was 1935, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jerldean is about 88 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Jerldean in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Jerldean a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Jerldean 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 Jerldean still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Jerldean 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 Jerldean 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people are called Jerldean?
Want to know how many people share the name Jerldean? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.