Jessiemae
A feminine name combining a diminutive of Jessie and Mae, likely intended as meaning "beloved pure one".
Name Census estimates that about 0 living Americans carry the first name Jessiemae. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Jessiemae today is around 0 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jessiemae births was 1921 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jessiemae. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Jessiemae. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
0
~ - Americans
Peak year
1921
8 babies that year
Average age
-
1922 SSA rank
#3,829
Tracked since 1913
Popularity
Jessiemae: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Jessiemae from the 1910s through to the 1920s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 22 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Jessiemae 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 Jessiemae 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 Jessiemae
The name Jessiemae is a feminine given name derived from a combination of the English names Jessie and Mae. Jessie is a diminutive form of the Hebrew name Jessica, which means "wealthy" or "foresight." Mae, on the other hand, is a French name derived from the Latin word "maia," meaning "mother."
The earliest recorded use of the name Jessiemae can be traced back to the late 19th century in the United States, particularly in the Southern states. It was a popular name among families with Scottish or Irish heritage, as the name Jessie had been common in those regions for centuries.
One of the earliest known individuals with the name Jessiemae was Jessiemae Brown (1898-1972), an African American educator and civil rights activist from North Carolina. She was a pioneer in the field of education, advocating for equal opportunities for Black students and teachers in the segregated South.
Another notable Jessiemae was Jessiemae Suitt (1920-1999), an American jazz singer and pianist from Mississippi. She performed with renowned musicians such as Duke Ellington and Count Basie and was known for her soulful renditions of blues and jazz standards.
In literature, the name Jessiemae appeared in the novel "The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers, published in 1940. The character Jessiemae Murphy was a young girl from a small town in Georgia, and her name reflected the Southern roots of the story.
Jessiemae Hendricks (1935-2018) was an American singer and actress who rose to fame in the 1960s as a member of the popular singing group The Raelettes, backing up Ray Charles. She later pursued a solo career and appeared in several films and television shows.
Lastly, Jessiemae Wilcox (1905-1987) was a Canadian artist and painter known for her vibrant landscapes and portraiture. She was a pioneer in the Saskatchewan art scene and helped establish the Regina Coil Painters, a influential group of artists in the province.
While the name Jessiemae is not as common today as it once was, it remains a unique and distinctive name with a rich history rooted in various cultural influences, reflecting the diverse tapestry of American society.
People
Jessiemae + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jessiemae 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
Jessiemae: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jessiemae?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 0 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jessiemae 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 - US residents.
Is Jessiemae a common name?
We classify Jessiemae as "Very Rare". It ranks above 2.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 43 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Jessiemae most popular?
The single biggest year for Jessiemae was 1921, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jessiemae is about 0 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Jessiemae in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Jessiemae a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Jessiemae 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 Jessiemae still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Jessiemae 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 Jessiemae 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people share the name Jessiemae?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.