Jerrell
A variant of Gerald, a masculine given name of Germanic origin meaning "ruler with the spear".
Name Census estimates that about 6,141 living Americans carry the first name Jerrell. It is a predominantly male name (98.7% of registrations). The average person named Jerrell today is around 40 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jerrell births was 1989 (242 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jerrell. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Jerrell with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Although Jerrell is used almost entirely for boys, the SSA data does show 91 girls registered with the name since 1880.
People living today
6.1K
~ 1 in 55,814 Americans
Peak year
1989
242 babies that year
Average age
40
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,947
Tracked since 1914
Census
Jerrell in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 4,841 people with the first name Jerrell, which placed it at #4,013 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#4,013
National first-name rank
People counted
4.8K
4,841 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
1.6
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
65.6% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jerrell
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Jerrell is Black at 65.6%. The next largest groups are White (24.7%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Jerrell described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Jerrell at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American65.6% · 3,178
- White24.7% · 1,198
- Two or more races4.8% · 233
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 144
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 46
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 42
Gender
Gender distribution for Jerrell
Jerrell leans heavily male at 98.7% of total registrations, but 91 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Jerrell as a male name
- Ranked #4,947 in 2024
- 20 male births in 2024
- Peak: 1989 (242 births)
Jerrell as a female name
- Ranked #14,380 in 1995
- 5 female births in 1995
- Peak: 1987 (7 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Jerrell leans strongly male. 4,742 people counted with this name were male (98.2%), compared with 89 female bearers (1.8%).
Popularity
Jerrell: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Jerrell from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 1,677 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Jerrell 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 Jerrell during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Jerrells live
The SSA's state-level files cover 26 states and territories. Texas, Georgia, Alabama recorded the most babies named Jerrell, while West Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 154 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Jerrell
The name Jerrell is believed to have originated as a variant spelling of the Hebrew name Jerahmeel, which means "God has mercy" or "mercy of God." This name has its roots in the biblical era and can be found mentioned in the Old Testament of the Bible.
In ancient times, the name Jerahmeel was commonly used among the Jewish people and appeared in various historical texts and records from the region. One of the earliest documented examples of this name dates back to around the 6th century BC, during the time of the Babylonian exile.
As the name spread across different cultures and languages, it underwent various phonetic and spelling changes, leading to the emergence of variants like Jerrell. This particular spelling is believed to have originated in the English-speaking world, potentially influenced by the Norman conquest of England in the 11th century.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Jerrell, though it was less common than some other biblical names. One of the earliest recorded instances is Jerrell de Montfort, a French nobleman who lived in the 12th century and participated in the Third Crusade.
Another notable figure was Jerrell Masterson (1620-1685), an English explorer and cartographer who was among the first Europeans to map parts of the American West. His expeditions and detailed maps contributed significantly to the exploration and understanding of the region during that era.
In the realm of arts and literature, Jerrell Fielding (1788-1853) was a renowned English playwright and poet. His works, including the acclaimed play "The Heir Apparent," were widely celebrated and influenced the theatrical scene of his time.
Moving into the modern era, Jerrell Franklin (1905-1989) was an American civil rights activist and educator who played a pivotal role in the desegregation of schools in the southern United States. His efforts and advocacy for equal educational opportunities left a lasting impact on the civil rights movement.
Finally, Jerrell Douglas (1929-2008) was a renowned American architect known for his innovative and environmentally conscious designs. His projects, such as the iconic Fallingwater house in Pennsylvania, earned him numerous accolades and recognition within the architectural community.
While the name Jerrell may not be as widely used today as it once was, its rich history and biblical roots have contributed to its enduring presence in various cultures and societies throughout the ages.
People
Jerrell + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jerrell 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
Jerrell: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jerrell?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 6,141 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jerrell 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 55,814 US residents.
Is Jerrell a common name?
We classify Jerrell as "Rare". It ranks above 96.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 7,278 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Jerrell most popular?
The single biggest year for Jerrell was 1989, when 242 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jerrell is about 40 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Jerrell in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 4,841 people with the name Jerrell, or 1.60 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #4,013 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Jerrell in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Jerrell?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Jerrell leans strongly male. 4,742 people counted with this name were male (98.2%), compared with 89 female bearers (1.8%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Jerrell?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Jerrell is Black at 65.6%. The next largest groups are White (24.7%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Jerrell most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Jerrell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 65.6% (3,178 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Jerrell in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Jerrell a male name?
Yes, 98.7% of people registered as Jerrell 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 Jerrell still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Jerrell 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 Jerrell 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.
How many people have the name Jerrell?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.