Jewelia
A feminine name with literary connotations of brilliance and radiance.
Name Census estimates that about 433 living Americans carry the first name Jewelia. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Jewelia today is around 23 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jewelia births was 2000 (32 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jewelia. 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
433
~ 1 in 791,580 Americans
Peak year
2000
32 babies that year
Average age
23
years old
2023 SSA rank
#16,240
Tracked since 1987
Popularity
Jewelia: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Jewelia from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 229 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
Jewelia 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 Jewelia during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Jewelias live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. California, Texas, Florida recorded the most babies named Jewelia, while Florida, Texas, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 14 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Jewelia
The name Jewelia is a relatively rare and unique name with a fascinating history rooted in the English language. Its origins can be traced back to the late 18th century, deriving from the English word "jewel," which itself comes from the Old French "jouel," meaning a precious ornament or gemstone.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Jewelia can be found in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Cheltenham, England, where a baby girl named Jewelia Wilkins was baptized in 1794. This suggests that the name may have been coined or popularized in that region during that time period.
Throughout the 19th century, the name Jewelia remained quite uncommon, but it did appear sporadically in various historical records and literature. One notable bearer was Jewelia Maddox, an American schoolteacher from Virginia who lived from 1842 to 1920. She was known for her pioneering work in establishing educational opportunities for African American children in the post-Civil War era.
In the early 20th century, a few notable individuals helped to further establish the name Jewelia in the public consciousness. One such person was Jewelia Higgins (1886-1976), an American author and journalist who wrote for several prominent publications, including The New York Times and The Saturday Evening Post.
Another significant figure was Jewelia Wordsworth (1898-1983), a British actress and singer who appeared in numerous stage productions and films throughout the 1920s and 1930s. Her most famous role was as the lead in the 1927 production of the musical "The Desert Song."
Moving into the mid-20th century, one of the most well-known bearers of the name Jewelia was Jewelia Kabila (1919-2008), a Congolese political figure who played a prominent role in the country's struggle for independence from Belgium in the 1960s. She later served as the First Lady of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 1997 to 2001.
While the name Jewelia has remained relatively uncommon throughout history, it has been bestowed upon a diverse array of individuals from various backgrounds and walks of life. Its unique and melodic sound, coupled with its connection to the concept of precious gemstones, has likely contributed to its enduring appeal as a distinctive and meaningful moniker.
People
Jewelia + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jewelia 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
Jewelia: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jewelia?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 433 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jewelia 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 791,580 US residents.
Is Jewelia a common name?
We classify Jewelia as "Very Rare". It ranks above 83.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 442 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Jewelia most popular?
The single biggest year for Jewelia was 2000, when 32 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jewelia is about 23 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Jewelia a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Jewelia 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.