Jobyna
A feminine name of unknown origin and meaning.
Name Census estimates that about 9 living Americans carry the first name Jobyna. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Jobyna today is around 64 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jobyna births was 1930 (9 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jobyna. 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 Jobyna. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
9
~ 1 in 38,083,815 Americans
Peak year
1930
9 babies that year
Average age
64
years old
1975 SSA rank
#8,416
Tracked since 1927
Popularity
Jobyna: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Jobyna from the 1920s through to the 1970s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1930s, with 28 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1930s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Jobyna 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 Jobyna 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 Jobyna
The name Jobyna is a unique and intriguing one, with its roots traced back to the Old English language. It is believed to be a feminine form of the name Job, which in turn is derived from the Hebrew name Iyyov, meaning "persecuted" or "afflicted one." The name Jobyna first emerged in the Middle Ages, around the 12th or 13th century, and was likely popularized by its inclusion in various medieval literary works and religious texts.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Jobyna can be found in the 14th-century English poem "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight." In this chivalric romance, a character named Jobyna is mentioned as a lady-in-waiting to the Queen. This literary reference suggests that the name was in use, at least among the nobility, during the late medieval period in England.
As the name Jobyna spread across Europe, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Jobina, Jobyna, and Jobynia. These variations were likely influenced by regional dialects and linguistic adaptations.
One of the most notable historical figures bearing the name Jobyna was Jobyna Ralston (1899-1967), an American silent film actress who appeared in numerous films during the 1920s. She is best remembered for her roles in movies such as "The Kid Brother" (1927) and "Wings" (1927), for which she received an Academy Award nomination.
Another prominent individual with the name Jobyna was Jobyna Howland (1880-1936), an American stage and film actress. She was particularly renowned for her performances in Broadway productions and was a member of the renowned Actors' Equity Association.
In the world of literature, Jobyna Ralston (1891-1960), an American author and playwright, left her mark with works such as "The Lighted Heart" and "The Footstep Man." Her plays were produced on Broadway and received critical acclaim.
The name Jobyna also found its way into the world of art through Jobyna Ralston (1882-1957), an American painter and illustrator known for her vibrant depictions of landscapes and still-life subjects.
Lastly, Jobyna Fayer (1907-1995), an American dancer and choreographer, made significant contributions to the world of modern dance. She was a member of the renowned Martha Graham Dance Company and later established her own dance school.
While the name Jobyna may not be as common as other names today, its rich history and unique origins have left an indelible mark on various fields throughout the centuries, from literature and art to film and theatre.
People
Jobyna + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jobyna 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
Jobyna: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jobyna?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 9 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jobyna 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 38,083,815 US residents.
Is Jobyna a common name?
We classify Jobyna as "Very Rare". It ranks above 25.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 39 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Jobyna most popular?
The single biggest year for Jobyna was 1930, when 9 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jobyna is about 64 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 Jobyna in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Jobyna a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Jobyna 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.
Is Jobyna still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Jobyna 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 Jobyna 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 are named Jobyna?
Want to know how many people share the name Jobyna? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.