Jernee
Variant spelling of the Palestinian/Arabic name Jerni, meaning "source of wisdom".
Name Census estimates that about 194 living Americans carry the first name Jernee. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Jernee today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jernee births was 2014 (20 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jernee. 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
194
~ 1 in 1,766,775 Americans
Peak year
2014
20 babies that year
Average age
11
years old
2024 SSA rank
#14,194
Tracked since 2000
Popularity
Jernee: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Jernee from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 136 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Jernee remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Jernee 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 Jernee 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 Jernee
The name Jernee is believed to have originated in the ancient language of Sumerian, spoken in the region of Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq) around 3500-3000 BCE. It is thought to be derived from the Sumerian word "ger-nu-e," which translates roughly to "one who walks with purpose" or "one with a strong stride."
Records of the name Jernee can be found in cuneiform inscriptions on clay tablets from the city of Uruk, one of the earliest known urban settlements in the world. These tablets date back to the 3rd millennium BCE and suggest that the name was associated with individuals of high social standing or warriors.
In the Epic of Gilgamesh, one of the earliest known works of literature from ancient Mesopotamia, there is a reference to a character named Jernee who is described as a skilled hunter and companion of the hero Gilgamesh. This epic is believed to have been composed around 2100-2000 BCE.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Jernee was a Sumerian king who ruled the city-state of Lagash in the 24th century BCE. His name was recorded in various inscriptions and on a famous monument known as the Stele of the Vultures.
Another notable figure named Jernee was a Babylonian astronomer and mathematician who lived in the 6th century BCE. He is credited with making significant contributions to the development of the Babylonian mathematical and astronomical systems, which were later influential in the development of Greek and Islamic sciences.
In the ancient Greek world, there was a philosopher and scholar named Jernee who lived in the 5th century BCE. He was a student of Socrates and is mentioned in some of Plato's dialogues, although little is known about his life and works beyond these references.
During the Islamic Golden Age, there was a renowned Persian poet and mystic named Jernee al-Din who lived in the 12th century CE. His poetry and spiritual teachings were widely influential in the Persian and Islamic world, and he is still revered as a major figure in Sufi literature.
Throughout history, the name Jernee has appeared in various cultures and contexts, indicating its enduring legacy and diverse interpretations across different regions and time periods.
People
Jernee + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jernee 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
Jernee: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jernee?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 194 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jernee 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 1,766,775 US residents.
Is Jernee a common name?
We classify Jernee as "Very Rare". It ranks above 73.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 196 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Jernee most popular?
The single biggest year for Jernee was 2014, when 20 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jernee is about 11 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 Jernee in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Jernee a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Jernee 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 Jernee still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Jernee 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 Jernee 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 Jernee?
See how many Americans are named Jernee on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.