Jem
A English diminutive of the name Jeremiah.
Name Census estimates that about 161 living Americans carry the first name Jem. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 61.4% of registrations being female. The average person named Jem today is around 22 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jem births was 2021 (14 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jem. 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 Jem with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
161
~ 1 in 2,128,909 Americans
Peak year
2021
14 babies that year
Average age
22
years old
2023 SSA rank
#10,176
Tracked since 1963
Census
Jem in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 536 people with the first name Jem, which placed it at #19,637 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
#19,637
National first-name rank
People counted
536
536 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
49.1% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jem
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Jem is White at 49.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (21.3%) and Hispanic (12.3%). 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 Jem 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 Jem at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White49.1% · 263
- Asian and Pacific Islander21.3% · 114
- Hispanic or Latino12.3% · 66
- Black or African American10.3% · 55
- Two or more races5.8% · 31
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 7
Gender
Gender distribution for Jem
Jem is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 166 total registrations, 64 (38.6%) were male and 102 (61.4%) were female.
Jem as a male name
- Ranked #10,176 in 2023
- 7 male births in 2023
- Peak: 2021 (9 births)
Jem as a female name
- Ranked #14,182 in 2024
- 6 female births in 2024
- Peak: 1987 (11 births)
2020 Census snapshot
The 2020 Census sex table shows Jem on both sides of the split. Of the 535 people counted with this name, 250 were male (46.7%) and 285 were female (53.3%).
Popularity
Jem: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Jem from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 49 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Jem 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 Jem during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Jem
The name Jem is a diminutive form of the name James, which has its origins in the Hebrew name Jacob. Jacob was a prominent figure in the Old Testament, and his name means "supplanter" or "one who follows." The name James was adopted into English from the French Jacques, which in turn came from the late Latin Iacomus and the Greek Iakōbos.
The first recorded use of Jem as a diminutive for James dates back to the 16th century in England. It was a common nickname used for those named James, particularly in the working class and among the less affluent. The name gained popularity due to its informal and affectionate nature.
One of the earliest notable figures with the name Jem was Jem Belcher, an English boxer who lived from 1781 to 1811. He was a celebrated pugilist and is considered one of the pioneers of modern boxing. His nickname, "The Nailer," added to his fame and helped popularize the diminutive form of his name.
Another historical figure with the name Jem was Jem Mace, an English boxer who lived from 1831 to 1909. He was a prominent figure in the early days of professional boxing and held the heavyweight championship of England from 1861 to 1862.
In literature, one of the most famous characters with the name Jem is Jem Finch from Harper Lee's classic novel "To Kill a Mockingbird," published in 1960. The character, whose full name is Jeremy Atticus Finch, is the son of the protagonist, Atticus Finch, and serves as a central figure in the novel's exploration of themes such as racism, injustice, and moral courage.
Another notable literary figure with the name Jem is Jem Merlyn from the novel "Watership Down" by Richard Adams, published in 1972. Jem is one of the rabbits in the story and is known for his bravery and loyalty to his warren.
In the world of music, one of the most famous individuals with the name Jem is Jem Cohen, an American independent filmmaker and photographer born in 1962. His works often explore themes of urban life, subcultures, and social issues.
While the name Jem may have originally been a diminutive form of James, it has since become a distinct name in its own right, with a rich history and cultural significance across various fields, from literature and sports to music and film.
People
Jem + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jem 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
Jem: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jem?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 161 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jem 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 2,128,909 US residents.
Is Jem a common name?
We classify Jem as "Very Rare". It ranks above 71.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 166 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Jem most popular?
The single biggest year for Jem was 2021, when 14 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jem is about 22 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Jem in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 536 people with the name Jem, or 0.18 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #19,637 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 Jem 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 Jem?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Jem on both sides of the split. Of the 535 people counted with this name, 250 were male (46.7%) and 285 were female (53.3%). 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 Jem?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Jem is White at 49.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (21.3%) and Hispanic (12.3%). 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 Jem most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Jem in the 2020 Census, accounting for 49.1% (263 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 Jem in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Jem a female name?
Yes, 61.4% of people registered as Jem 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 Jem still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Jem 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 Jem 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 are called Jem?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.