Jonwesley
A combination name deriving from Jon, a diminutive of Jonathan, meaning "gift of God", and Wesley, meaning "west meadow".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Jonwesley. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Jonwesley today is around 34 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jonwesley births was 1991 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jonwesley. 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 Jonwesley. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
1991
5 babies that year
Average age
34
years old
1991 SSA rank
#8,852
Tracked since 1991
Popularity
Jonwesley: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Jonwesley 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 Jonwesley during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Jonwesley
The name Jonwesley is a unique amalgamation of two distinct names, Jon and Wesley, both with their own rich histories and cultural origins. Jon is a diminutive form of the Hebrew name Jonathan, which means "Yahweh has given" or "gift of God." This name finds its roots in the Old Testament, where it was borne by one of the warriors in King David's army.
Wesley, on the other hand, is an English surname derived from the Old English words "wes" meaning "west" and "leah" meaning "meadow" or "woodland clearing." It was initially a placename that later became a surname, with the earliest known record of the Wesley family dating back to the 12th century in the county of Dorset, England.
The combination of these two names, Jonwesley, is a modern invention that appears to have emerged in recent centuries, potentially as a unique expression of individuality or as a way to honor two distinct family lineages. While there are no known historical figures of great renown who bore this exact name, the components Jon and Wesley have been carried by several notable individuals throughout history.
One of the most famous bearers of the name Jon was the Norwegian explorer and writer Jon Fridtjof Nansen (1861-1930), who made significant contributions to the exploration of the Arctic regions and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1922 for his humanitarian efforts during World War I.
As for Wesley, the most prominent figure was undoubtedly John Wesley (1703-1791), the English cleric and theologian who founded the Methodist movement within the Church of England. His brother Charles Wesley (1707-1788) was also a renowned Methodist leader and hymn writer.
Other notable individuals with these component names include the American author Jon Krakauer (born 1954), known for his works on outdoor adventure and exploration, and Wesley Snipes (born 1962), the American actor best known for his roles in action films like the "Blade" trilogy.
While the name Jonwesley may be relatively modern and uncommon, it carries within it the echoes of diverse cultural and historical influences, blending the biblical roots of Jonathan with the Anglo-Saxon origins of Wesley, creating a unique and distinctive identity for those who bear this name.
People
Jonwesley + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jonwesley 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
Jonwesley: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jonwesley?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jonwesley 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Jonwesley a common name?
We classify Jonwesley as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% 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 Jonwesley most popular?
The single biggest year for Jonwesley was 1991, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jonwesley is about 34 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 Jonwesley in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Jonwesley a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Jonwesley 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 Jonwesley still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Jonwesley 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 Jonwesley 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 Jonwesley?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.