Jesalyn
A feminine name of uncertain origin, possibly a combination of "Jesse" and "Lynn".
Name Census estimates that about 335 living Americans carry the first name Jesalyn. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Jesalyn today is around 21 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jesalyn births was 2009 (24 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jesalyn. 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
335
~ 1 in 1,023,147 Americans
Peak year
2009
24 babies that year
Average age
21
years old
2020 SSA rank
#16,186
Tracked since 1985
Census
Jesalyn in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 340 people with the first name Jesalyn, which placed it at #27,081 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
#27,081
National first-name rank
People counted
340
340 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
60.9% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jesalyn
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Jesalyn is White at 60.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (22.9%) and Two or More Races (6.8%). 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 Jesalyn 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 Jesalyn at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White60.9% · 207
- Hispanic or Latino22.9% · 78
- Two or more races6.8% · 23
- Black or African American4.1% · 14
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.5% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 6
Popularity
Jesalyn: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Jesalyn from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 162 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Jesalyn 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 Jesalyn during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Jesalyns live
Origin
Meaning and history of Jesalyn
The name Jesalyn is a modern English variant of the biblical name Jesselyn, which has its origins in the Hebrew language. It is a feminine form of the name Jesse, derived from the Hebrew word "Yishai," meaning "gift" or "present." The name Jesse is of considerable historical significance in the Old Testament, as it was borne by the father of King David, an important figure in the Jewish and Christian faiths.
The name Jesalyn emerged as a creative spelling variation of Jesselyn, likely in the 20th century, as parents sought unique and distinctive names for their children. While the name Jesselyn can be traced back to the Middle Ages, the variant Jesalyn is a more recent invention, reflecting the modern trend of playing with spelling and sounds to create new names.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Jesalyn can be found in the records of the United States Social Security Administration, where it first appeared in the late 20th century. However, the name's rarity means that there are few notable historical figures who bore this particular spelling.
Nonetheless, several notable individuals have carried variations of the name throughout history. One such person was Jessalyn Gilsig, an American actress born in 1971, best known for her roles in television series like "Glee" and "Big Little Lies."
Another individual with a similar name was Jessalyn Wanlim, a Canadian actress born in 1977, who appeared in various television shows and films, including "The L Word" and "Supernatural."
In the world of literature, we find Jessalyn Hutto, an American author and poet born in 1970, known for her works exploring themes of identity, family, and the human experience.
Moving back in time, we encounter Jessalyn Kinsman, a 19th-century American artist born in 1820, known for her portraits and still-life paintings, which are now part of several museum collections.
Finally, while not bearing the exact spelling of Jesalyn, we can mention Jesselyn Radack, an American former ethics adviser and whistleblower born in 1976, who gained prominence for her role in exposing ethical misconduct within the United States Department of Justice.
While the name Jesalyn is a relatively modern creation, its roots can be traced back to the biblical figure of Jesse, making it a unique blend of ancient and contemporary influences. As with many names, its popularity and usage have ebbed and flowed throughout history, but its distinct sound and meaning continue to captivate parents seeking a name that is both meaningful and distinctive.
People
Jesalyn + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jesalyn 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
Jesalyn: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jesalyn?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 335 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jesalyn 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 1,023,147 US residents.
Is Jesalyn a common name?
We classify Jesalyn as "Very Rare". It ranks above 80.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 341 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Jesalyn most popular?
The single biggest year for Jesalyn was 2009, when 24 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jesalyn is about 21 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Jesalyn in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 340 people with the name Jesalyn, or 0.11 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #27,081 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 Jesalyn 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 Jesalyn?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Jesalyn appears almost entirely female. Of the 341 people counted with this name, 99.7% were female and only a very small share were male. 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 Jesalyn?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Jesalyn is White at 60.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (22.9%) and Two or More Races (6.8%). 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 Jesalyn most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Jesalyn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 60.9% (207 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 Jesalyn in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Jesalyn a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Jesalyn 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 Jesalyn still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Jesalyn 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 Jesalyn 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 Jesalyn?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.