Jex
A diminutive of Joshua, a Biblical name of Hebrew origin meaning "the Lord is salvation."
Name Census estimates that about 109 living Americans carry the first name Jex. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Jex today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jex births was 2018 (12 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jex. 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
109
~ 1 in 3,144,535 Americans
Peak year
2018
12 babies that year
Average age
11
years old
2022 SSA rank
#8,611
Tracked since 2005
Popularity
Jex: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Jex from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 65 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Jex remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Jex 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 Jex during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Jex' live
Origin
Meaning and history of Jex
The name Jex has its origins in ancient Celtic cultures, particularly among the Britons and Gauls who inhabited parts of modern-day Britain, France, and surrounding regions. It is believed to be derived from the Proto-Celtic root *jogu-, meaning "to move" or "to stir." This root gave rise to various Celtic names, with Jex emerging as a shortened or contracted form.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Jex can be found in the writings of the Roman historian Tacitus, who chronicled the life of a Briton chieftain named Jexobogus in the 1st century AD. This suggests that the name was already in use among the Celtic populations of Britain during the Roman conquest.
In the Middle Ages, the name Jex appeared occasionally in various regions of Europe, particularly in areas with strong Celtic influences. One notable bearer of the name was Jex de Villebois, a French knight who participated in the Third Crusade alongside Richard the Lionheart in the late 12th century.
During the Renaissance period, the name Jex gained some prominence in certain literary circles. The English playwright and poet Ben Jonson, born in 1572, included a character named Jex in his satirical play "The Devil is an Ass," first performed in 1616. This literary reference suggests that the name was still in use, albeit likely rare, in early modern Britain.
In the 19th century, the name Jex surfaced in historical records related to the American Civil War. Jex P. Skinner, born in 1833, was a Union Army officer who fought in several major battles, including the Battle of Gettysburg. His service during the war has been documented in various military records and historical accounts.
Another notable bearer of the name Jex was the British artist and illustrator Jex Lawson, born in 1856. He was known for his intricate illustrations in books and magazines, contributing to publications such as The Strand Magazine and The Idler during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
While the name Jex has remained relatively uncommon throughout history, it has persisted in various cultural and historical contexts, reflecting its ancient Celtic roots and occasional appearances in literature, military records, and artistic circles.
People
Jex + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jex 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
Jex: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jex?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 109 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jex 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 3,144,535 US residents.
Is Jex a common name?
We classify Jex as "Very Rare". It ranks above 65.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 110 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Jex most popular?
The single biggest year for Jex was 2018, when 12 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jex is about 11 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 Jex in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Jex a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Jex 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 Jex still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Jex 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 Jex 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 Jex?
See how many Americans are named Jex on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.