Jairus
Of Hebrew origin meaning "he who enlightens" or "he will enlighten".
Name Census estimates that about 2,630 living Americans carry the first name Jairus. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Jairus today is around 24 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jairus births was 2015 (83 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jairus. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Jairus with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
2.6K
~ 1 in 130,325 Americans
Peak year
2015
83 babies that year
Average age
24
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,627
Tracked since 1933
Census
Jairus in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 2,169 people with the first name Jairus, which placed it at #7,116 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#7,116
National first-name rank
People counted
2.2K
2,169 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.7
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
50.3% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jairus
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Jairus is Black at 50.3%. The next largest groups are White (22.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (12.4%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Jairus described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Jairus at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American50.3% · 1,092
- White22.6% · 490
- Asian and Pacific Islander12.4% · 270
- Hispanic or Latino7.6% · 164
- Two or more races6.0% · 130
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 23
Popularity
Jairus: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Jairus from the 1930s through to the 2020s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 690 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Jairus remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Jairus 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 Jairus during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Jairus' live
The SSA's state-level files cover 19 states and territories. Texas, California, Georgia recorded the most babies named Jairus, while South Carolina, Pennsylvania, Mississippi recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 39 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Jairus
The name Jairus has its origins in the ancient Greek language. It is derived from the Greek word "Iaomai," which means "to heal." This suggests that the name may have been associated with healing or medical practitioners in ancient times.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Jairus can be found in the New Testament of the Bible. In the Gospels of Mark and Luke, there is a reference to a man named Jairus, who was a ruler of the synagogue. He pleaded with Jesus to heal his dying daughter, and Jesus ultimately restored her to life. This biblical story is believed to have taken place around the 1st century AD.
In the early Christian era, the name Jairus gained popularity among believers, as it was associated with the biblical figure and the miraculous healing performed by Jesus. It was particularly common in regions with strong Christian traditions, such as parts of Europe and the Middle East.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Jairus was Jairus of Arles, a 6th-century bishop who lived in what is now southern France. He is considered a saint in the Catholic Church and is known for his efforts in promoting Christianity in the region.
Another notable figure with the name Jairus was Jairus Ogan, an early American Baptist minister and educator who lived from 1768 to 1826. He was a prominent figure in the establishment of the Baptist Church in Virginia and played a significant role in the founding of several educational institutions.
In the 19th century, Jairus Wilcox (1804-1869) was an American inventor and businessman who patented several innovative designs for cooking stoves and heating systems. His inventions contributed to the improvement of household appliances and heating technologies during the Industrial Revolution.
Jairus Banaji (1850-1938) was an influential Indian scholar and social reformer. He was a prominent figure in the Parsi community and worked tirelessly to promote education and social progress in British India.
Jairus Hiyo (1920-2002) was a renowned Kenyan politician and activist. He played a pivotal role in the struggle for independence in Kenya and served as a member of parliament, representing the interests of his community and advocating for democratic reforms.
While the name Jairus has its roots in ancient Greek and biblical traditions, it has been used across various cultures and regions throughout history, often carrying associations with healing, religion, and notable achievements in various fields.
People
Jairus + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jairus 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
Jairus: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jairus?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2,630 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jairus 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 130,325 US residents.
Is Jairus a common name?
We classify Jairus as "Rare". It ranks above 94.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,691 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Jairus most popular?
The single biggest year for Jairus was 2015, when 83 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jairus is about 24 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Jairus in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 2,169 people with the name Jairus, or 0.72 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #7,116 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Jairus in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Jairus?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Jairus leans strongly male. 2,138 people counted with this name were male (98.7%), compared with 29 female bearers (1.3%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Jairus?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Jairus is Black at 50.3%. The next largest groups are White (22.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (12.4%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Jairus most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Jairus in the 2020 Census, accounting for 50.3% (1,092 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Jairus in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Jairus a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Jairus 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.
Is Jairus still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Jairus in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Jairus can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
How many people share the name Jairus?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.