Jerusalem
A feminine name of Hebrew origin meaning "foundation of peace".
Name Census estimates that about 446 living Americans carry the first name Jerusalem. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 70.6% of registrations being female. The average person named Jerusalem today is around 15 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jerusalem births was 2020 (29 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jerusalem. 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
446
~ 1 in 768,507 Americans
Peak year
2020
29 babies that year
Average age
15
years old
2024 SSA rank
#11,529
Tracked since 1981
Gender
Gender distribution for Jerusalem
Jerusalem is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 452 total registrations, 133 (29.4%) were male and 319 (70.6%) were female.
Jerusalem as a male name
- Ranked #11,529 in 2024
- 6 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2018 (11 births)
Jerusalem as a female name
- Ranked #16,285 in 2024
- 5 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2020 (19 births)
Popularity
Jerusalem: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Jerusalem from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 176 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Jerusalem remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Jerusalem 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 Jerusalem during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Jerusalems live
Origin
Meaning and history of Jerusalem
The given name Jerusalem is derived from the Hebrew name Yerushalayim, which means "city of peace" or "foundation of peace". The name has its origins in the ancient city of Jerusalem, one of the oldest cities in the world and a significant religious and cultural center for Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
The earliest recorded use of the name Jerusalem can be traced back to the Bible, where it is mentioned numerous times as the capital of the Kingdom of Israel and later, the Kingdom of Judah. The city is first mentioned in the Book of Genesis, where it is referred to as Salem, and later in the Book of Joshua, where it is called Jebus.
Throughout history, the name Jerusalem has been associated with several significant figures, particularly in the context of religion and spirituality. One of the most notable figures is Jerusalem Jones (c. 1812-1880), an African-American Baptist preacher and abolitionist who was born into slavery and later became a prominent figure in the anti-slavery movement.
Another notable figure with the name Jerusalem is Jerusalem Narindar Singh (1886-1972), an Indian spiritual leader and founder of the Radha Soami Satsang Beas, a spiritual organization based in India. He was known for his teachings on the importance of meditation and self-realization.
In the field of literature, Jerusalem Conquering (1609-1670) was an English writer and poet who is best known for his work "The Tragedy of Jerusalem", a play that explored the themes of religious conflict and the fall of Jerusalem.
Jerusalem Artie (1918-2003), an American singer and songwriter, was known for her contributions to the folk music scene in the 1960s and 1970s. She was a prominent figure in the Greenwich Village music scene and recorded several albums that celebrated the spirit of social justice and peace.
Lastly, Jerusalem Slim (1907-1970), an American blues singer and guitarist, was a influential figure in the Chicago blues scene in the 1930s and 1940s. He was known for his distinctive slide guitar playing style and his contributions to the development of the Chicago blues sound.
People
Jerusalem + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jerusalem 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
Jerusalem: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jerusalem?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 446 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jerusalem 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 768,507 US residents.
Is Jerusalem a common name?
We classify Jerusalem as "Very Rare". It ranks above 83.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 452 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Jerusalem most popular?
The single biggest year for Jerusalem was 2020, when 29 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jerusalem is about 15 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Jerusalem a female name?
Yes, 70.6% of people registered as Jerusalem 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.