Jerriel
A name of Hebrew origin meaning "God is my song."
Name Census estimates that about 35 living Americans carry the first name Jerriel. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Jerriel today is around 42 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jerriel births was 1984 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jerriel. 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 Jerriel. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
35
~ 1 in 9,792,981 Americans
Peak year
1984
7 babies that year
Average age
42
years old
2017 SSA rank
#13,148
Tracked since 1943
Census
Jerriel in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 149 people with the first name Jerriel, which placed it at #45,514 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
#45,514
National first-name rank
People counted
149
149 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
53.0% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jerriel
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Jerriel is Black at 53.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (23.5%) and White (18.1%). 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 Jerriel 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 Jerriel at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American53.0% · 79
- Hispanic or Latino23.5% · 35
- White18.1% · 27
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.7% · 4
- Two or more races2.0% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 1
Popularity
Jerriel: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Jerriel from the 1940s through to the 2010s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 24 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
Jerriel 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 Jerriel 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 Jerriel
The name Jerriel is a relatively uncommon and obscure given name with uncertain origins. It is believed to be derived from a combination of the Germanic elements "ger" meaning "spear" and "riel" meaning "ruler" or "counselor." However, its precise linguistic roots and the culture from which it emerged are unclear.
One theory suggests that the name may have evolved from an ancient Germanic or Scandinavian name, possibly used by tribes or communities in northern Europe during the early medieval period. Another hypothesis proposes that it could be a variant or adaptation of a more well-known name, such as Jeremiah or Gerald, which have Hebrew and Germanic roots, respectively.
Historical records and references to individuals bearing the name Jerriel are extremely scarce. It does not appear to have been widely documented in ancient texts, religious scriptures, or notable historical accounts from various civilizations. This lack of documentation makes it challenging to pinpoint the exact time period or region where the name first emerged.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Jerriel can be found in the 17th century. Jerriel Weston (1592-1669) was an English philosopher and theologian who lived during the early part of the Puritan movement in England. He authored several works on religious subjects and was known for his involvement in the Westminster Assembly, a significant gathering of Protestant divines during the English Civil War.
Another notable figure with the name Jerriel was Jerriel Brinker (1734-1809), a Dutch explorer and navigator who participated in several expeditions to the East Indies and the Pacific Ocean in the late 18th century. His voyages contributed to the exploration and mapping of various islands and coastlines in the region.
In the 19th century, Jerriel Huntington (1819-1886) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives, representing the state of Connecticut from 1859 to 1861. He was also involved in the establishment of several educational institutions in his home state.
Jerriel Forrester (1891-1967) was a British author and playwright who gained recognition for his works of fiction and stage plays during the early 20th century. Some of his notable works include "The Haunted House" and "The Crimson Curtain," which explored themes of mystery and suspense.
Lastly, Jerriel Alston (1928-2003) was an American jazz pianist and composer who made significant contributions to the bebop and hard bop genres of jazz music. He collaborated with numerous legendary musicians throughout his career and was highly respected for his virtuosic piano skills and innovative improvisational style.
While the name Jerriel may have ancient roots and a rich historical background, its precise origins and early use remain shrouded in mystery. Nevertheless, the individuals mentioned above have left their mark on various fields, carrying this unique and intriguing name through different eras and cultures.
People
Jerriel + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jerriel 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
Jerriel: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jerriel?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 35 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jerriel 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 9,792,981 US residents.
Is Jerriel a common name?
We classify Jerriel as "Very Rare". It ranks above 48.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 39 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Jerriel most popular?
The single biggest year for Jerriel was 1984, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jerriel is about 42 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Jerriel in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 149 people with the name Jerriel, or 0.05 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #45,514 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 Jerriel 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 Jerriel?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Jerriel leans strongly male. 132 people counted with this name were male (91.7%), compared with 12 female bearers (8.3%). 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 Jerriel?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Jerriel is Black at 53.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (23.5%) and White (18.1%). 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 Jerriel most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Jerriel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 53.0% (79 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 Jerriel in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Jerriel a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Jerriel 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 Jerriel still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Jerriel 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 Jerriel 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 Americans are named Jerriel?
Want to know how many people have the name Jerriel? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.