Jiggs
A humorous male name meaning "slang for an eccentric or whimsical person".
Name Census estimates that about 0 living Americans carry the first name Jiggs. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Jiggs today is around 0 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jiggs births was 1924 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jiggs. 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 Jiggs. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
0
~ - Americans
Peak year
1924
5 babies that year
Average age
-
1924 SSA rank
#4,666
Tracked since 1924
Popularity
Jiggs: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Jiggs 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 Jiggs during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1920s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Jiggs
The name Jiggs is believed to have originated from the English language, specifically as a diminutive or nickname for the given name James. Its roots can be traced back to the Middle English period, around the 13th to 15th centuries.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Jiggs dates back to the late 16th century. It appeared in a collection of English plays titled "The Dramatic Works of Thomas Heywood" published in 1598, where a character named Jiggs was mentioned.
In the 17th century, the name Jiggs gained some popularity in England and was occasionally used as a given name. One notable figure from this period was Jiggs Holbein, an English painter and artist who lived from 1597 to 1665. He was known for his portraits and historical paintings.
The 18th century saw the name Jiggs being used more frequently, particularly among the working class and lower social strata in England. One prominent individual with this name was Jiggs Browne, an English boxer and bare-knuckle fighter who was active in the 1770s and known for his formidable punching power.
As the 19th century dawned, the name Jiggs continued to be used, albeit sporadically. An interesting historical reference comes from the American Civil War era, where there was a Union Army soldier named Jiggs Donaldson who fought in several battles, including the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863.
In the early 20th century, the popularity of the name Jiggs received a boost due to the comic strip character "Jiggs" from the long-running American comic strip "Bringing Up Father" by George McManus. The strip, which debuted in 1913, featured an Irish-American working-class family, and the character of Jiggs became a cultural icon.
One notable individual named Jiggs from the 20th century was Jiggs McDonald, an Australian actor and comedian who was born in 1910 and appeared in numerous films and television shows throughout his career, which spanned over five decades.
While the name Jiggs has diminished in popularity in recent times, it remains an intriguing and unique name with a rich historical background, stemming from its English origins and association with various notable figures throughout the centuries.
People
Jiggs + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jiggs 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
Jiggs: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jiggs?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 0 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jiggs 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 - US residents.
Is Jiggs a common name?
We classify Jiggs as "Very Rare". It ranks above 2.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Jiggs most popular?
The single biggest year for Jiggs was 1924, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jiggs is about 0 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 Jiggs in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Jiggs a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Jiggs 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 Jiggs still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Jiggs 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 Jiggs 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 Americans are named Jiggs?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.