Jestin
A masculine name derived from a French surname meaning "from Geste".
Name Census estimates that about 1,167 living Americans carry the first name Jestin. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Jestin today is around 29 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jestin births was 2001 (48 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jestin. 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
1.2K
~ 1 in 293,706 Americans
Peak year
2001
48 babies that year
Average age
29
years old
2024 SSA rank
#10,307
Tracked since 1973
Popularity
Jestin: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Jestin from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 328 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Jestin 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 Jestin during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Jestins live
The SSA's state-level files cover 6 states and territories. California, Florida, Michigan recorded the most babies named Jestin, while Georgia, Louisiana, Texas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 17 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Jestin
The name Jestin is believed to have originated from the Old English language, with roots dating back to the 5th century AD. It is a variant of the name Justin, which is derived from the Latin name Justinus, meaning "just" or "righteous." The name Jestin was likely influenced by the Norman Conquest of England in the 11th century, when many French and Norman names were introduced to the region.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Jestin can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land ownership and taxation in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. This suggests that the name was in use among the Norman nobility who settled in England during that period.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the name Jestin was primarily used by the upper classes and nobility in England and parts of France. It gained popularity among commoners in the 16th and 17th centuries, coinciding with the Protestant Reformation and the rise of Puritanism in England.
Notable historical figures who bore the name Jestin include Jestin de Courtenay (1153-1216), a French nobleman and crusader who participated in the Third Crusade. Another was Jestin Fitzwalter (1190-1235), an English nobleman and sheriff of Wiltshire during the reign of King John.
In the 18th century, Jestin Harley (1714-1778) was a British Member of Parliament and landowner from Herefordshire. Jestin Smeeton (1749-1821) was an English clergyman and author who wrote extensively on religious topics.
During the 19th century, Jestin Holman (1817-1897) was a prominent American abolitionist and women's rights activist from Massachusetts. He was involved in the Underground Railroad and worked closely with notable figures like William Lloyd Garrison and Frederick Douglass.
While the name Jestin has waned in popularity in recent times, it continues to hold historical significance, particularly in its connection to the Norman heritage of England and the sociopolitical movements of the 18th and 19th centuries.
People
Jestin + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jestin 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
Jestin: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jestin?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,167 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jestin 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 293,706 US residents.
Is Jestin a common name?
We classify Jestin as "Rare". It ranks above 91.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,199 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Jestin most popular?
The single biggest year for Jestin was 2001, when 48 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jestin is about 29 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Jestin a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Jestin 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.