home > boy names > jesse

Jesse - Meaning of the name

Meaning of the name Jesse

 

[ 2 syll. jes-se, je-sse ] The baby boy name Jesse is sometimes used as a girl name. Its pronunciation is JHEHSiy (English) †. Jesse is used predominantly in the English and German languages, and it is derived from Hebrew origins. Biblical name: The name's meaning is God's gift. Yishay (Hebrew) is an old form of Jesse. The name was borne in the Bible by the father of King David, of whom Jesus was a descendant. The name was commonly adopted by English Puritans in the 18th century. It is currently more popular in the USA than elsewhere. The name was also known from the notorious US outlaw of the Wild West, Jesse James (1847-1882). The name Jessalyn (English) is the female version of Jesse.

Jesse has 22 variants that are used in both English and other languages. Variants used in English include Isai, Jese, Jesee, Jesi, Jesiah, Jesmar, Jesmarr, Jessa, Jessamine, Jessamyne, Jessee, Jessey, Jessi, Jessica, Jessmar, and Jessmarr. The short form Jess, the diminutive form Jessie, and the variant spelling Jessy (used in German as well) are other English forms. Ieke (Hawaiian), Ieki (Hawaiian), and Yishai (Hebrew) are foreign variants of Jesse.

Jesse is a classic favorite. Today it is still a popular baby name for boys, though to a lesser extent than it was before. The name's popularity rose from the 1960s up to the 1980s. At the peak of its usage in 1981, 0.561% of baby boys were given the name Jesse. It ranked at #37 then. The baby name has since fallen in popularity. In 2010, its usage was 0.159% and its ranking #124, but it was nonetheless the most popular out of all boy names in its group. In 2010, 8 times more boys were named Jesse than the next most popular name, Jessie. In the past century Jesse has mostly been a baby boy name. In 2000, the name Jesse was given to 15 times as many baby boys than girls.

Baby names that sound like Jesse include Jesee, Jesi, Jessee, Jessye, Jesy, J.C., Jacee (English), Jacey (English), Jaci (English), Jacie (English), Jackee, Jackey (English), Jacki (English), Jackie (English), Jacko, Jacky (English), Jacquez, Jacqui, Jacy (English), and Jae-Hwa (Korean).

† Pronunciation for Jesse: JH as in "joy (JH.OY)" ; EH as in "ebb (EH.B)" ; S as in "see (S.IY)" ; IY as in "eat (IY.T)"

Details of famous persons named Jesse:
Actor Don Knotts, born Jesse Donald Knotts, 21 July 1924 - 24 February 2006, Morgantown, West Virginia.
Politician Jesse Jackson, born 8 October 1941, Greenville, South Carolina.
Pop Musician Jesse McCartney, born 9 April 1987, New York, New York.
Runner Jesse Owens, born James Cleveland Owens, 12 September 1913 - 31 March 1980, Oakville, Alabama.
TV Personality Jesse (TV personality) James, born 1969, Lynnwood, California.
US Senator Jesse Helms, born 18 October 1921, Monroe, North Carolina.
Wrestler Jesse Ventura, born James George Janos, 15 July 1951, Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Meaning of Jesse Meaning of Jess Meaning of Jessie Meaning of Jessy Meaning of Jessee Meaning of Jessa Meaning of Jessalyn Meaning of Isai Meaning of Jesse Meaning of Jess Meaning of Jessica Meaning of Jessy Meaning of Jessa Meaning of Jessie Meaning of Jessamine Meaning of Janet Meaning of Jane Meaning of Jasmine Meaning of Isaiah