Jermyn
A masculine name of French origin meaning "great friend".
Name Census estimates that about 49 living Americans carry the first name Jermyn. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Jermyn today is around 48 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jermyn births was 1976 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jermyn. 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 Jermyn. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
49
~ 1 in 6,994,986 Americans
Peak year
1976
8 babies that year
Average age
48
years old
1984 SSA rank
#5,929
Tracked since 1972
Popularity
Jermyn: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Jermyn from the 1970s through to the 1980s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 30 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1970s peak, Jermyn remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Jermyn 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 Jermyn 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 Jermyn
The name Jermyn has its origins in the Old English language, where it was derived from the word "gærman," meaning "German" or "from Germania." This suggests that the name may have initially been used to refer to someone who had connections to the Germanic regions of Europe during the early medieval period.
In the Middle Ages, the name took on various spellings, such as "Jerman," "Jermine," and "Jermyne," reflecting the linguistic changes and regional variations that occurred over time. It's believed that the modern spelling of "Jermyn" emerged in the late 15th or early 16th century.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with this name was Jermyn of Norwich, a 13th-century English nobleman who served as a member of the King's Council during the reign of Henry III. Another historical figure was Sir Robert Jermyn (c. 1570-1645), an English soldier and politician who fought in the Anglo-Spanish War and later served as a Member of Parliament.
In the 17th century, Henry Jermyn (1604-1684) was a prominent figure at the court of King Charles I and later became the Earl of St. Albans under the reign of Charles II. He was known for his loyalty to the monarchy during the English Civil War.
Another notable bearer of the name was James Jermyn (1637-1708), an English politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for several constituencies and was involved in the Glorious Revolution of 1688.
During the 18th century, Lord Jermyn Davers (1687-1741) was a British peer and landowner who held the title of Baron Jermyn. He was a member of the House of Lords and played a role in the political affairs of the time.
While the name Jermyn has its roots in the Old English language and was initially associated with Germanic origins, it has since been adopted and used across various cultures and regions. Its historical significance lies in its connection to notable individuals who have played important roles in politics, military affairs, and social spheres throughout different eras.
People
Jermyn + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jermyn 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
Jermyn: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jermyn?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 49 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jermyn 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 6,994,986 US residents.
Is Jermyn a common name?
We classify Jermyn as "Very Rare". It ranks above 54% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 52 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Jermyn most popular?
The single biggest year for Jermyn was 1976, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jermyn is about 48 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 Jermyn in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Jermyn a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Jermyn in the SSA data are male. 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 Jermyn still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Jermyn 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 Jermyn 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 common is the name Jermyn?
See how many Americans are named Jermyn on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.