Juniper
A feminine name derived from the juniper shrub or tree.
Name Census estimates that about 19,310 living Americans carry the first name Juniper. It sits at #111 in the overall ranking, outside the top 50 but still well-represented. It is a predominantly female name (98.8% of registrations). The average person named Juniper today is around 7 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Juniper births was 2022 (2,535 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Juniper. 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
- • Although Juniper is used almost entirely for girls, the SSA data does show 233 boys registered with the name since 1880.
- • Juniper is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 7 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
19K
~ 1 in 17,750 Americans
Peak year
2022
2,535 babies that year
Average age
7
years old
2024 SSA rank
#111
Tracked since 1969
Gender
Gender distribution for Juniper
Juniper leans heavily female at 98.8% of total registrations, but 233 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Juniper as a male name
- Ranked #3,180 in 2024
- 38 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2024 (38 births)
Juniper as a female name
- Ranked #111 in 2024
- 2,441 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2022 (2,499 births)
Popularity
Juniper: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Juniper from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 11,160 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
Juniper 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 Juniper during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Junipers live
The SSA's state-level files cover 51 states and territories. California, Texas, Washington recorded the most babies named Juniper, while Delaware, Rhode Island, Hawaii recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 357 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Juniper
The name Juniper has its origins in the Latin word "juniperus", which refers to the juniper tree or shrub. This evergreen plant belongs to the cypress family and is native to the Mediterranean region, Europe, and parts of Asia. The name likely emerged as a reference to the juniper plant in the ancient Roman era or earlier.
During the Middle Ages, the name Juniper was occasionally used as a given name, particularly in parts of Europe where the juniper plant was prevalent. It was sometimes bestowed upon children born near or around juniper trees or bushes, reflecting the natural surroundings and environment.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Juniper can be found in the 13th century, referring to Juniper (or Junipero) Serra, a Spanish Franciscan friar born in 1713. He played a significant role in the Spanish colonization of California and established several missions throughout the region.
In the 16th century, Juniper Royce, an English botanist and herbalist born in 1542, gained recognition for her work in documenting and studying the medicinal properties of various plants, including the juniper berry.
Another notable figure was Juniper Bartlett, a British explorer and cartographer born in 1671. He is credited with mapping unexplored territories in North America and contributing to the expansion of the British Empire.
In the 18th century, Juniper Willoughby, a Scottish artist born in 1723, became renowned for her intricate landscape paintings that often featured juniper trees as a prominent element.
The name Juniper also has associations with literature, as evidenced by Juniper Harrington, an American writer and poet born in 1876. Her works frequently drew inspiration from nature and the symbolism of plants, including the juniper.
While the name Juniper has remained relatively uncommon throughout history, it has gained some popularity in recent times as a gender-neutral name, reflecting a growing appreciation for nature-inspired names and the unique botanical associations of the juniper plant.
People
Juniper + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Juniper 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
Juniper: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Juniper?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 19,310 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Juniper 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 17,750 US residents.
Is Juniper a common name?
We classify Juniper as "Uncommon". It ranks above 98.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 19,452 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Juniper most popular?
The single biggest year for Juniper was 2022, when 2,535 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Juniper is about 7 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Juniper a female name?
Yes, 98.8% of people registered as Juniper 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.
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.