Jettsen
Dutch masculine name meaning "strong like a jet stream".
Name Census estimates that about 114 living Americans carry the first name Jettsen. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Jettsen today is around 5 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jettsen births was 2024 (23 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jettsen. 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
114
~ 1 in 3,006,617 Americans
Peak year
2024
23 babies that year
Average age
5
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,474
Tracked since 2014
Popularity
Jettsen: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Jettsen 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 82 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
Jettsen 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 Jettsen 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 Jettsen
The name Jettsen has its origins in the ancient Sumerian civilization, one of the earliest civilizations known to have emerged in Mesopotamia, present-day Iraq, around 3500 BCE. The name is derived from the Sumerian words "jet," meaning "to guide," and "sen," which translates to "divine path." Thus, Jettsen can be interpreted as "one who guides along the divine path."
While the name's roots can be traced back to Sumerian culture, it has also been found referenced in various ancient texts and religious scriptures throughout history. One of the earliest mentions of the name Jettsen can be found in the Epic of Gilgamesh, a Mesopotamian epic poem dating back to around 2100 BCE, where it is used as the name of a wise sage who guides the hero Gilgamesh on his quest for immortality.
The first recorded individual known to have borne the name Jettsen was a Sumerian priest and astrologer who lived around 2500 BCE. He was renowned for his knowledge of celestial movements and his ability to interpret celestial events as portents of the future.
In the 5th century BCE, a Greek philosopher named Jettsen of Miletus is mentioned in the writings of Aristotle. He was known for his contributions to the field of metaphysics and his exploration of the concept of the "prime mover," which he believed was the source of all motion and change in the universe.
During the Middle Ages, a monk named Jettsen of Canterbury (1050-1120) gained fame for his scholarly works on theology and his translations of ancient Greek texts into Latin. His writings were widely studied in monasteries across Europe during that period.
In the 16th century, Jettsen Alvarado (1520-1587), a Spanish explorer and navigator, accompanied several expeditions to the Americas and played a crucial role in mapping the coastlines of present-day Mexico and California.
Another notable figure was Jettsen Takahashi (1785-1856), a Japanese scholar and diplomat who served as an advisor to the Tokugawa Shogunate. He was instrumental in facilitating Japan's early diplomatic relations with Western nations and promoting cultural exchange.
These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who have borne the name Jettsen, a name steeped in ancient Sumerian tradition and associated with wisdom, guidance, and a connection to the divine path.
People
Jettsen + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jettsen 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
Jettsen: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jettsen?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 114 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jettsen 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 3,006,617 US residents.
Is Jettsen a common name?
We classify Jettsen as "Very Rare". It ranks above 66.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 115 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Jettsen most popular?
The single biggest year for Jettsen was 2024, when 23 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jettsen 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 Jettsen in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Jettsen a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Jettsen 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 Jettsen still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Jettsen 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 Jettsen 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 Jettsen?
You can see how many people share the name Jettsen on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.