Jesse

Did you know?

A few things about Jesse you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Jesse

Jesse Owens

American track and field athlete (1913–1980)

Choose Jesse and your child shares a first name with Jesse Owens, an American track and field athlete. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Jesse, like who?” Jesse Owens's Wikipedia article is available in 96 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Jesse Owens on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Acme News Photos, Public domain (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 853 baby boys born in the US in 2025 was named Jesse, 2,002 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Jesse would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryJesse has been in use since at least 1880, the first year US birth records were kept. That's 145 years of Jesses, and counting.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1887, when it ranked #26. Today it's #184, so it could be due a comeback.
• 📍Where it's lovedJesse is most popular in Montana, where it ranks #62, followed by Wyoming (#89) and New Mexico (#106). It makes the top 1,000 in almost every state.
• 💬MeaningIn Hebrew, Jesse means “gift”.

About the name Jesse

Jesse is a boy name of Hebrew origin meaning “gift”. It has 5 letters and 1 syllable, starting with J and ending in “-sse”. US birth records list Jesse for boys from 1880 to 2025, in 146 of those 146 years. Its best year was 1887, when it ranked #26 among boy names. In 2025 it ranked #184, with 2,002 babies.

Origin:Hebrew names