Jessejames
A masculine compound name derived from Jesse meaning "gift" and James meaning "supplanter".
Name Census estimates that about 572 living Americans carry the first name Jessejames. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Jessejames today is around 18 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jessejames births was 2008 (39 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jessejames. 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
572
~ 1 in 599,221 Americans
Peak year
2008
39 babies that year
Average age
18
years old
2024 SSA rank
#7,443
Tracked since 1982
Popularity
Jessejames: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Jessejames 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 235 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
Jessejames 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 Jessejames during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Jessejames' live
Origin
Meaning and history of Jessejames
The given name Jessejames is a unique combination of two distinct names, Jesse and James. It is not a traditional name from any particular language or culture but rather a modern invention, likely inspired by the famous American outlaw Jesse James.
Jesse is a Hebrew name derived from the biblical patriarch Jesse, who was the father of King David. The name is believed to have originated from the Hebrew word "Yishai," meaning "gift" or "present." In the Old Testament, Jesse is described as a humble shepherd from Bethlehem, and his son David went on to become one of the most celebrated kings of Israel.
James, on the other hand, is an English name derived from the Hebrew name Jacob, which means "supplanter" or "one who follows." It has its roots in the New Testament, where James was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ and is often referred to as James the Just or James the Brother of the Lord.
While the combination of Jesse and James as a single name is not found in ancient texts or religious scriptures, it is believed to have gained popularity in the United States as a tribute to the legendary outlaw Jesse James (1847-1882). Jesse James was a notorious bank robber and gang leader who terrorized the American Midwest during the late 19th century, becoming a folk hero and symbol of resistance against the post-Civil War establishment.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Jessejames can be found in the literary work "The Outlaw Years: The History of the Land Pirates of the Natchez Trace" by Robert M. Coates, published in 1930. The book mentions a character named Jessejames, possibly inspired by the infamous outlaw.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Jessejames, including:
1. Jessejames Hartley (1946-2018), an American actor best known for his role in the television series "C.H.i.P.s."
2. Jessejames Decker (born 1988), an American country pop singer and reality television personality.
3. Jessejames Williams (born 1991), an American professional basketball player.
4. Jessejames Paganini (born 1987), an American professional wrestler and actor.
5. Jessejames Whitson (born 1999), an American professional baseball player.
While the name Jessejames is not a traditional name with deep historical roots, its unique combination and association with the infamous outlaw Jesse James have contributed to its modern popularity and usage as a given name.
People
Jessejames + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jessejames 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
Jessejames: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jessejames?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 572 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jessejames 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 599,221 US residents.
Is Jessejames a common name?
We classify Jessejames as "Very Rare". It ranks above 85.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 579 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Jessejames most popular?
The single biggest year for Jessejames was 2008, when 39 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jessejames is about 18 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Jessejames a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Jessejames 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.
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.