Jessen
Of Norse origin, a given name meaning "son of Jesse".
Name Census estimates that about 353 living Americans carry the first name Jessen. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Jessen today is around 24 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jessen births was 2002 (16 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jessen. 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
353
~ 1 in 970,975 Americans
Peak year
2002
16 babies that year
Average age
24
years old
2022 SSA rank
#13,195
Tracked since 1976
Census
Jessen in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 406 people with the first name Jessen, which placed it at #23,937 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
#23,937
National first-name rank
People counted
406
406 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
60.8% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jessen
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Jessen is White at 60.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (13.1%) and Black (11.3%). 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 Jessen 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 Jessen at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White60.8% · 247
- Hispanic or Latino13.1% · 53
- Black or African American11.3% · 46
- Asian and Pacific Islander9.4% · 38
- Two or more races4.4% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 4
Popularity
Jessen: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Jessen from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 117 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
Jessen 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 Jessen 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 Jessen
The name Jessen is believed to have originated from the Old Norse language, with roots dating back to the Viking Age (793-1066 AD). It is thought to be derived from the Old Norse word "jessen," which means "warrior" or "soldier." This suggests that the name may have initially been bestowed upon those who displayed exceptional bravery and skill in battle.
During the Viking era, the name Jessen was likely prevalent in the Scandinavian regions, particularly in areas where the Norse people had established settlements, such as present-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. As the Vikings explored and conquered new territories, the name may have spread to other parts of Europe and beyond.
Historical references to individuals bearing the name Jessen are scarce, as record-keeping during the Viking Age was limited. However, some notable figures with this name have been documented throughout history.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Jessen can be found in the Icelandic Sagas, a collection of literary works that recount the lives and adventures of Icelandic families and their ancestors. In the Saga of Hrafnkell Freysgodi, a character named Jessen is mentioned as a skilled warrior and chieftain.
In more recent times, Jessen Jacobsen (1837-1885) was a Danish author and poet known for his contributions to the Scandinavian literary movement of the late 19th century. His works, such as "Marie Grubbe" and "Niels Lyhne," explored themes of existentialism and the human condition.
Another notable figure was Jessen Burchardsen (1885-1952), a Danish architect who played a significant role in shaping the architectural landscape of Copenhagen in the early 20th century. His designs, including the iconic Palads Teatret and several residential buildings, are celebrated for their blend of traditional Danish and modern styles.
In the realm of sports, Jessen Lauridsen (1908-1996) was a Danish footballer who represented his country at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin. He played as a forward and scored several goals during his international career.
Lastly, Jessen Petersen (1919-2005) was a Norwegian resistance fighter during World War II. He played a crucial role in the Norwegian resistance movement against the German occupation and was awarded the War Cross with Sword for his bravery and service.
While the name Jessen may not be widely known or popularized today, its roots can be traced back to the ancient Norse culture, where it was likely associated with strength, courage, and warrior spirit.
People
Jessen + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jessen 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
Jessen: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jessen?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 353 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jessen 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 970,975 US residents.
Is Jessen a common name?
We classify Jessen as "Very Rare". It ranks above 81% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 360 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Jessen most popular?
The single biggest year for Jessen was 2002, when 16 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jessen is about 24 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Jessen in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 406 people with the name Jessen, or 0.13 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #23,937 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 Jessen 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 Jessen?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Jessen leans strongly male. 345 people counted with this name were male (86.9%), compared with 52 female bearers (13.1%). 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 Jessen?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Jessen is White at 60.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (13.1%) and Black (11.3%). 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 Jessen most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Jessen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 60.8% (247 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 Jessen in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Jessen a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Jessen 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 Jessen still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Jessen 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 Jessen 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 common is the name Jessen?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.