Jia
Of Chinese origin, meaning "fine jade" or "beautiful".
Name Census estimates that about 2,107 living Americans carry the first name Jia. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 90.0% of registrations being female. The average person named Jia today is around 15 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jia births was 2023 (111 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jia. 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
- • Jia is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 15 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
2.1K
~ 1 in 162,674 Americans
Peak year
2023
111 babies that year
Average age
15
years old
2011 SSA rank
#1,823
Tracked since 1969
Gender
Gender distribution for Jia
Jia leans heavily female at 90.0% of total registrations, but 214 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Jia as a male name
- Ranked #8,387 in 2011
- 9 male births in 2011
- Peak: 2003 (17 births)
Jia as a female name
- Ranked #1,823 in 2024
- 110 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2023 (111 births)
Popularity
Jia: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Jia from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 755 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Jia remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Jia 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 Jia during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Jias live
The SSA's state-level files cover 16 states and territories. New York, California, Texas recorded the most babies named Jia, while Virginia, Tennessee, Maryland recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 65 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Jia
The name Jia originates from the Chinese language and culture. It has a long and storied history dating back to ancient times. The name is derived from the Chinese character "嘉", which means "good", "auspicious", or "excellent". It is a unisex name, although it is more commonly given to girls in modern times.
Jia has been a popular name in China for centuries, and it has been documented in various historical texts and records. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the classic Chinese text, the "Book of Rites" (Liji), which was compiled during the Zhou Dynasty (1046–256 BCE). This text contains instructions and guidelines for various rituals and ceremonies, and it mentions the name Jia in the context of naming conventions and auspicious meanings.
The name Jia also has connections to Chinese mythology and folklore. In some stories, it is associated with the concept of luck, prosperity, and good fortune. It was believed that giving a child this name would bring them blessings and a prosperous life.
Throughout history, there have been many notable individuals who bore the name Jia. One of the most famous was Jia Sidao (1213–1275), a renowned Chinese calligrapher and scholar during the Song Dynasty. He was known for his exceptional calligraphic skills and his contributions to the development of the "cursive script" style.
Another famous Jia was Jia Pingwa (born 1952), a contemporary Chinese novelist and screenwriter. He is regarded as one of the most influential writers of the "Root-Seeking" literary movement, which aimed to explore and preserve traditional Chinese culture and values.
In the realm of politics, Jia Qinglin (born 1940) was a prominent Chinese politician who served as a member of the Politburo Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China from 2002 to 2012. He was also the Chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, an important political advisory body.
In the field of sports, Jia Zhuanzhuan (born 1985) is a Chinese weightlifter who has won multiple Olympic and World Championship medals. She is considered one of the greatest weightlifters in Chinese history and a role model for aspiring athletes.
Lastly, Jia Zhangke (born 1970) is a renowned Chinese film director and screenwriter. He is considered one of the leading figures of the "Sixth Generation" of Chinese filmmakers, known for his gritty and realistic depictions of contemporary Chinese society.
These are just a few examples of the many notable individuals throughout history who have borne the name Jia. This name carries a rich cultural legacy and has been associated with excellence, prosperity, and good fortune for centuries in Chinese tradition.
People
Jia + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jia 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
Jia: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jia?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2,107 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jia 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 162,674 US residents.
Is Jia a common name?
We classify Jia as "Rare". It ranks above 93.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,135 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Jia most popular?
The single biggest year for Jia was 2023, when 111 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jia is about 15 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Jia a female name?
Yes, 90.0% of people registered as Jia 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.