Jesse comes from the Hebrew Yishai, meaning "gift," the name of King David's father and the root of the Tree of Jesse carved into medieval cathedrals. Americans know it equally as the outlaw Jesse James, the Olympian Jesse Owens who embarrassed Nazi Berlin in 1936, and the chemistry teacher's apprentice on Breaking Bad. Currently at rank 187, it sits in comfortable middle ground, familiar without being common. Two syllables, the soft j and easy e, a name that sounds like it's already rolling up its sleeves. Warm, unpretentious, slightly Western in flavor. A name for someone you'd trust with your keys.
Popularity
1880 to today
US SSA data. Lower rank number means more popular. A flat line at the top of the chart means the name did not rank in the top 1000.
Nicknames
No common nicknames.
Middle name ideas
All middle names for JesseFamous people
None notable in our records yet.
In fiction
No fictional associations tracked.
Sibling name ideas
- Finn
- Max
- Rhett
- Chase
- Jayce
Similar energy
- Finn
- Max
- Rhett
- Chase
- Jayce
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Names like Jesse
Finn
Falling· boy
Short for Irish Fionn, 'fair' or 'white'
Max
Falling· boy
Short for Maximilian, from Latin, 'greatest'
Rhett
Steady· boy
From Dutch raet, 'advice' or 'counsel'
Chase
Falling· boy
From Old French chacier, 'to hunt'
Jayce
Falling· boy
Modern respelling of Jace, short for Greek Jason, 'healer'