Jayonna
A feminine name of obscure origin suggesting nobility or prominence.
Name Census estimates that about 1,012 living Americans carry the first name Jayonna. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Jayonna today is around 16 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jayonna births was 2009 (73 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jayonna. 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
- • Jayonna is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 16 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
1.0K
~ 1 in 338,690 Americans
Peak year
2009
73 babies that year
Average age
16
years old
2024 SSA rank
#5,675
Tracked since 1992
Census
Jayonna in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 718 people with the first name Jayonna, which placed it at #15,879 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
#15,879
National first-name rank
People counted
718
718 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
78.7% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jayonna
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Jayonna is Black at 78.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (11.7%) and White (5.4%). 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 Jayonna 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 Jayonna at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American78.7% · 565
- Two or more races11.7% · 84
- White5.4% · 39
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 23
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 3
Popularity
Jayonna: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Jayonna from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 462 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Jayonna 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 Jayonna during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Jayonnas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 8 states and territories. Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York recorded the most babies named Jayonna, while Missouri, Michigan, Texas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 28 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Jayonna
The name Jayonna is a relatively modern invention, originating in the late 20th century. Its roots can be traced back to the English name Jaye, a unisex name derived from the Middle English word "jay," meaning a bird of the crow family. The "onna" suffix is likely a feminized version of the name, adding a distinctly feminine touch to the originally gender-neutral moniker.
While the name Jayonna itself does not have a long historical lineage, its components have been present in various forms throughout the centuries. The name Jaye has been documented as early as the 16th century, appearing in records from England and Scotland. It is believed to have been initially used as a nickname or diminutive form of more traditional names like Jane or Jayne.
As for historical references, the name Jayonna does not appear to be directly mentioned in any ancient texts, religious scriptures, or notable historical records. However, its roots in the natural world, specifically the jay bird, can be traced back to various cultural and literary works that celebrate the beauty and symbolism of this avian creature.
The earliest recorded examples of the name Jayonna are relatively recent, with the first known instances appearing in the latter half of the 20th century. One of the earliest notable individuals to bear this name was Jayonna Joann Berry, an American singer and songwriter born in 1986. While not a household name, her work in the R&B and soul genres has garnered a dedicated following.
Another individual of note with the name Jayonna is Jayonna Munoz, an American actress known for her roles in television series such as "Shameless" and "The Fosters." Born in 2001, she has already amassed an impressive acting resume at a young age.
In the field of sports, Jayonna Sheppherd, an American basketball player born in 1996, has made a name for herself as a talented guard. She played collegiately for the University of California, Berkeley, and has since pursued a professional career both domestically and internationally.
Moving across the globe, Jayonna Camisha is a South African model and beauty pageant titleholder, having won the Miss Soweto title in 2016. Her success in the pageant world has brought her significant recognition within the South African entertainment industry.
Lastly, Jayonna Dasha is a contemporary artist from New Zealand, known for her vibrant paintings and mixed media works that often explore themes of identity and cultural heritage. Her unique style has garnered critical acclaim, and her pieces have been featured in various exhibitions and galleries throughout the country.
While the name Jayonna may be relatively new in the grand scheme of history, it has already been embraced by a diverse range of individuals, each leaving their mark in their respective fields and contributing to the rich tapestry of human experience.
People
Jayonna + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jayonna 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
Jayonna: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jayonna?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,012 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jayonna 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 338,690 US residents.
Is Jayonna a common name?
We classify Jayonna as "Rare". It ranks above 90.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,024 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Jayonna most popular?
The single biggest year for Jayonna was 2009, when 73 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jayonna is about 16 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Jayonna in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 718 people with the name Jayonna, or 0.24 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #15,879 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 Jayonna 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 Jayonna?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Jayonna appears almost entirely female. Of the 718 people counted with this name, 99.3% were female and only a very small share were male. 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 Jayonna?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Jayonna is Black at 78.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (11.7%) and White (5.4%). 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 Jayonna most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Jayonna in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.7% (565 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 Jayonna in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Jayonna a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Jayonna 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.
Is Jayonna still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Jayonna 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 Jayonna 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 have Jayonna as a first name?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.