Jerlene
A feminine name of uncertain origin, potentially a blend of "Geraldine" and "Charlene".
Name Census estimates that about 352 living Americans carry the first name Jerlene. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Jerlene today is around 76 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jerlene births was 1947 (38 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jerlene. 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 Jerlene is about 76 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Jerlenes were born before 1960.
People living today
352
~ 1 in 973,734 Americans
Peak year
1947
38 babies that year
Average age
76
years old
1988 SSA rank
#10,927
Tracked since 1915
Popularity
Jerlene: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Jerlene from the 1910s through to the 1980s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1940s, with 309 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1940s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Jerlene 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 Jerlene during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Jerlenes live
The SSA's state-level files cover 9 states and territories. Texas, North Carolina, Arkansas recorded the most babies named Jerlene, while Tennessee, Kentucky, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 16 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Jerlene
The name Jerlene is a relatively modern amalgamation, believed to have originated in the early 20th century as a combination of the Germanic root "ger" meaning "spear" and the French feminine suffix "-lene". Its origins can be traced back to the United States, where it gained popularity as a creative spin on more traditional names.
While there are no known historical references to the name Jerlene in ancient texts or religious scriptures, its unique construction reflects the linguistic melting pot that characterized the American experience in the early 1900s. The blending of Germanic and French elements suggests a desire to forge a new identity, distinct from the cultural traditions of the Old World.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Jerlene can be found in birth records from the 1920s and 1930s, particularly in the southern states of the United States. One notable bearer of the name was Jerlene Nolan (1918-2007), an American actress and singer who appeared in several Hollywood films during the 1940s and 1950s.
Another prominent figure with the name Jerlene was Jerlene Lockett (1942-2018), a former track and field athlete from the United States who won a silver medal in the long jump at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
In the realm of literature, Jerlene Stanford (1934-2022) was an acclaimed American author and poet, best known for her works exploring themes of racial identity and the African American experience.
The world of music also saw its share of notable Jerlenes, including Jerlene Toney (1934-2018), an American jazz vocalist and songwriter who performed with luminaries such as Dizzy Gillespie and Art Blakey.
Lastly, Jerlene Newell (1953-present) is a former professional tennis player from the United States who achieved a career-high ranking of No. 17 in the world and won several doubles titles on the WTA Tour.
People
Jerlene + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jerlene 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
Jerlene: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jerlene?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 352 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jerlene 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 973,734 US residents.
Is Jerlene a common name?
We classify Jerlene as "Very Rare". It ranks above 81% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 924 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Jerlene most popular?
The single biggest year for Jerlene was 1947, when 38 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jerlene is about 76 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Jerlene a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Jerlene 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.