Jolani
A feminine name of uncertain origin, possibly a variant of Johanna.
Name Census estimates that about 95 living Americans carry the first name Jolani. It is a predominantly female name (94.8% of registrations). The average person named Jolani today is around 6 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jolani births was 2021 (14 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jolani. 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 Jolani. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
95
~ 1 in 3,607,940 Americans
Peak year
2021
14 babies that year
Average age
6
years old
2023 SSA rank
#7,739
Tracked since 2015
Gender
Gender distribution for Jolani
Jolani leans heavily female at 94.8% of total registrations, but 5 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Jolani as a male name
- Ranked #13,111 in 2023
- 5 male births in 2023
- Peak: 2023 (5 births)
Jolani as a female name
- Ranked #7,739 in 2024
- 14 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2021 (14 births)
Popularity
Jolani: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Jolani from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 58 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Jolani 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 Jolani 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 Jolani
The name Jolani is of Arabic origin, derived from the word "jalan" which means "beautiful" or "graceful". It is believed to have originated in the Middle East region around the 7th century AD, during the time of the Islamic Golden Age.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Jolani can be found in the historical account of the Abbasid Caliphate, where it was mentioned as the name of a respected scholar and poet who lived in Baghdad during the reign of Harun al-Rashid (786-809 AD).
In the 12th century, a famous Sufi mystic and philosopher named Ibn Arabi mentioned a disciple named Jolani in his writings, indicating the name's continued use among the scholarly and spiritual circles of the time.
During the medieval period, the name Jolani gained popularity in various parts of the Middle East and North Africa. One notable figure was Jolani al-Andalusi, a renowned mathematician and astronomer from Andalusia (present-day Spain) who lived in the 11th century.
In the Ottoman Empire, the name Jolani was associated with several influential figures, including Jolani Pasha, a prominent military leader who served as the governor of Baghdad in the late 16th century.
Throughout the centuries, the name Jolani has been carried by individuals from different walks of life, including religious scholars, poets, artists, and military leaders. However, it is important to note that the name's popularity and usage may have varied across different regions and time periods.
People
Jolani + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jolani 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
Jolani: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jolani?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 95 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jolani 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 3,607,940 US residents.
Is Jolani a common name?
We classify Jolani as "Very Rare". It ranks above 63.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 96 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Jolani most popular?
The single biggest year for Jolani was 2021, when 14 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jolani is about 6 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 Jolani in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Jolani a female name?
Yes, 94.8% of people registered as Jolani 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 Jolani still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Jolani 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 Jolani 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 Jolani?
Want to know how many people have the name Jolani? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.