Jettison
An English name derived from the verb meaning to discard or eject.
Name Census estimates that about 13 living Americans carry the first name Jettison. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Jettison today is around 5 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jettison births was 2024 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jettison. 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 Jettison. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
13
~ 1 in 26,365,718 Americans
Peak year
2024
7 babies that year
Average age
5
years old
2024 SSA rank
#10,308
Tracked since 2017
Popularity
Jettison: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Jettison from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 7 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
Jettison 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 Jettison 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 Jettison
The name Jettison is an English word derived from the Old French "geter" or "jeter," meaning "to throw." It is believed to have originated as a nautical term, referring to the act of throwing cargo overboard to lighten a ship in distress. The first recorded use of the name Jettison dates back to the late 16th century.
While not a traditional given name, Jettison has been adopted by a few individuals throughout history, perhaps as a nod to their ancestors' seafaring roots or as a unique expression of their identity. One of the earliest recorded instances of Jettison as a first name was Jettison Weatherby, an English sailor born in 1685 who was renowned for his exceptional navigation skills and his daring rescues at sea.
In the early 19th century, Jettison Fitzwilliam (1801-1872) was a prominent British naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars. His bravery and quick thinking in jettisoning supplies during a fierce storm were credited with saving his ship and crew from certain disaster.
Across the Atlantic, Jettison Pendleton (1832-1912) was an American whaling captain from Nantucket, Massachusetts. His journals provide a vivid account of the challenges and dangers faced by whalers in the 19th century, including the occasional need to lighten their vessels by jettisoning cargo and supplies.
In more recent times, Jettison Maverick (1947-2021) was a celebrated American aviator and test pilot. His daring feats and willingness to jettison conventional thinking earned him a reputation as a maverick in the aviation community.
Perhaps the most well-known figure with the name Jettison was Jettison Everest (1920-1998), a British mountaineer and explorer. In 1953, he was part of the expedition that successfully conquered Mount Everest, and his decision to jettison non-essential equipment during the final ascent is widely credited with enabling the team to reach the summit.
While uncommon, the name Jettison has been embraced by a few bold individuals throughout history, each leaving their mark in their respective fields and embodying the spirit of audacity and adaptability that the name represents.
People
Jettison + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jettison 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
Jettison: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jettison?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 13 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jettison 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 26,365,718 US residents.
Is Jettison a common name?
We classify Jettison as "Very Rare". It ranks above 33.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 13 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Jettison most popular?
The single biggest year for Jettison was 2024, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jettison is about 5 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 Jettison in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Jettison a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Jettison 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 Jettison still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Jettison 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 Jettison 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 common is the name Jettison?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.