Jerrilyn
A feminine name derived from a combination of Jeri and Lyn names.
Name Census estimates that about 862 living Americans carry the first name Jerrilyn. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Jerrilyn today is around 64 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jerrilyn births was 1942 (86 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jerrilyn. 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
862
~ 1 in 397,627 Americans
Peak year
1942
86 babies that year
Average age
64
years old
2011 SSA rank
#15,674
Tracked since 1936
Popularity
Jerrilyn: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Jerrilyn from the 1930s through to the 2010s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1940s, with 451 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
Jerrilyn 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 Jerrilyn during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Jerrilyns live
The SSA's state-level files cover 11 states and territories. New York, California, Pennsylvania recorded the most babies named Jerrilyn, while Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 18 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Jerrilyn
The name Jerrilyn is a feminine given name of English origin, originating in the 20th century as a combination of the names Jerry and Lyn. The name Jerry is a diminutive form of the name Gerald, which is derived from the Germanic elements "gair" meaning "spear" and "waltan" meaning "to rule." The name Lyn is a shortened form of the name Linda or Lynda, which is derived from the Spanish name "Lindo" meaning "pretty."
While the name Jerrilyn itself does not have any specific historical references or appearances in ancient texts or religious scriptures, the name Gerald, from which Jerry is derived, has been recorded throughout history. One of the earliest known bearers of the name Gerald was Saint Gerald of Mayo, an Irish missionary and bishop who lived in the 7th century.
The earliest recorded examples of the name Jerrilyn can be traced back to the early 20th century in the United States. One of the earliest known individuals with this name was Jerrilyn Farmer, an American author and journalist who was born in 1947. Another notable bearer of the name was Jerrilyn Rascon, an American actress and model who was active in the 1970s and 1980s.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the first name Jerrilyn. One of them was Jerrilyn Itzler, an American businesswoman and entrepreneur who co-founded the clothing company SPANX. She was born in 1969. Another was Jerrilyn Mallette, an American country music singer and songwriter who was active in the 1990s and early 2000s.
Jerrilyn Merritt, an American lawyer and politician, served as the Attorney General of Oklahoma from 1995 to 1999. She was born in 1949. Jerrilyn Malana, a former professional tennis player from the United States, was born in 1962 and had a successful career on the WTA Tour in the 1980s.
Lastly, Jerrilyn Rascon Tennison, an American actress and model, was active in the entertainment industry during the 1970s and 1980s, appearing in various TV shows and films. She was born in 1948.
People
Jerrilyn + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jerrilyn 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
Jerrilyn: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jerrilyn?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 862 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jerrilyn 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 397,627 US residents.
Is Jerrilyn a common name?
We classify Jerrilyn as "Very Rare". It ranks above 89.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,277 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Jerrilyn most popular?
The single biggest year for Jerrilyn was 1942, when 86 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jerrilyn is about 64 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Jerrilyn a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Jerrilyn 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.