Jetta
A feminine name derived from the gemstone jet, meaning dark.
Name Census estimates that about 1,428 living Americans carry the first name Jetta. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Jetta today is around 36 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jetta births was 2009 (50 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jetta. 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
1.4K
~ 1 in 240,024 Americans
Peak year
2009
50 babies that year
Average age
36
years old
2024 SSA rank
#7,737
Tracked since 1887
Popularity
Jetta: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Jetta from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 403 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
Jetta 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 Jetta during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Jettas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 8 states and territories. Arkansas, Arizona, Idaho recorded the most babies named Jetta, while Texas, Pennsylvania, Oklahoma recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 5 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Jetta
The name Jetta is a relatively modern invention, believed to have been created in the 20th century. It does not have a clear linguistic origin or etymology, and is likely a combination of sounds that were chosen for their aesthetic appeal rather than any specific meaning.
One theory suggests that Jetta may be a feminized version of the name Jett, which is an English surname derived from the French name Gette or Jet. These names are thought to have their roots in the Old French word "jeter," meaning "to throw." However, the connection between Jetta and these older names is tenuous at best.
Despite its lack of historical roots, the name Jetta has gained some popularity in recent decades. One of the earliest known individuals to bear the name was Jetta Goudal, an American actress born in 1891 who appeared in several films during the silent era. Another early bearer of the name was Jetta Norris, an American novelist and journalist who lived from 1918 to 2005.
In more recent times, Jetta has become associated with the popular Volkswagen car model of the same name, which was first introduced in 1979. While the car's name was likely chosen for its catchy sound rather than any specific meaning, it may have contributed to the increased use of Jetta as a given name for baby girls.
One notable modern bearer of the name is Jetta Johnson, an American singer and actress born in 1977. She is best known for her role in the television series Ghostwriter and her work as a voice actress in various animated projects.
Another individual named Jetta is Jetta Dexter, a British artist and illustrator born in 1989. She is known for her whimsical illustrations and has published several books featuring her artwork.
While Jetta may not have a rich historical background, it has gained a foothold in modern times as a unique and distinctive name. Its simplicity and lack of traditional meaning allow it to be a blank canvas for those who bear it, free from the constraints of long-standing cultural associations.
People
Jetta + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jetta 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
Jetta: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jetta?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,428 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jetta 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 240,024 US residents.
Is Jetta a common name?
We classify Jetta as "Rare". It ranks above 92.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,240 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Jetta most popular?
The single biggest year for Jetta was 2009, when 50 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jetta is about 36 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Jetta a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Jetta 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.
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.