Jotham
A masculine name of Hebrew origin meaning "Yahweh is perfect".
Name Census estimates that about 651 living Americans carry the first name Jotham. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Jotham today is around 19 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jotham births was 2013 (36 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jotham. 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.
People living today
651
~ 1 in 526,504 Americans
Peak year
2013
36 babies that year
Average age
19
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,916
Tracked since 1969
Popularity
Jotham: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Jotham 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 273 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Jotham remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Jotham 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 Jotham during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Jothams live
Origin
Meaning and history of Jotham
The name Jotham has its origins in the Hebrew language and is derived from the Hebrew word "yotham," which means "Jehovah is perfect" or "the Lord is upright." This name has significant historical and religious connotations, particularly in Jewish and Christian traditions.
The earliest recorded mention of the name Jotham can be found in the Old Testament of the Bible. Jotham was the son of King Uzziah and the eleventh king of Judah, who reigned from around 750 to 735 BCE. The Book of Chronicles and the Book of Kings in the Bible provide accounts of his life and reign.
In the Middle Ages, the name Jotham was used sporadically in various parts of Europe, particularly in England and Germany. However, it was not a widely popular name during this period. One notable figure bearing this name was Jotham of Brendloier, a German nobleman who lived in the 13th century.
During the Puritan era in England and the American colonies, the name Jotham experienced a resurgence in popularity among Puritans. They often chose biblical names for their children, and Jotham was seen as a virtuous and honorable name. One prominent individual with this name was Jotham Bradbury (1718-1795), an American jurist and politician from Massachusetts.
In the 19th century, the name Jotham was relatively uncommon but still used in some parts of the English-speaking world. Jotham Blanchard (1809-1892) was an American Congregational minister and educator who founded Wheaton College in Illinois.
Another notable figure with this name was Jotham Potter Allds (1816-1899), an American Baptist minister and abolitionist who served as the first president of Ottawa University in Kansas.
As the 20th century progressed, the name Jotham became increasingly rare, but it has never completely fallen out of use. Jotham Johnson (1905-1967) was an American artist and illustrator best known for his paintings depicting scenes from American history and the Old West.
Despite its relative rarity, the name Jotham has maintained a unique and distinct identity throughout history, carrying with it the weight of its biblical and religious origins.
People
Jotham + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jotham 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
Jotham: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jotham?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 651 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jotham 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 526,504 US residents.
Is Jotham a common name?
We classify Jotham as "Very Rare". It ranks above 87% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 663 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Jotham most popular?
The single biggest year for Jotham was 2013, when 36 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jotham is about 19 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Jotham a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Jotham 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.
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.