Jesenia
A feminine name of Spanish origin meaning "autumn".
Name Census estimates that about 4,573 living Americans carry the first name Jesenia. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Jesenia today is around 31 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jesenia births was 1990 (195 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jesenia. 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.
People living today
4.6K
~ 1 in 74,952 Americans
Peak year
1990
195 babies that year
Average age
31
years old
1989 SSA rank
#7,413
Tracked since 1971
Census
Jesenia in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 4,167 people with the first name Jesenia, which placed it at #4,468 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
#4,468
National first-name rank
People counted
4.2K
4,167 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
1.4
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Hispanic or Latino
95.5% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jesenia
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Jesenia is Hispanic at 95.5%. The next largest groups are White (2.7%) and Black (1.3%). 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 Jesenia 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 Jesenia at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino95.5% · 3,980
- White2.7% · 111
- Black or African American1.3% · 53
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 13
- Two or more races0.2% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Gender
Gender distribution for Jesenia
Out of the 4,755 babies given the name Jesenia since 1880, 99.9% were registered as female. The name sits firmly on the female side of the spectrum, with only a handful of male registrations across the entire dataset.
Jesenia as a male name
- Ranked #7,413 in 1989
- 6 male births in 1989
- Peak: 1989 (6 births)
Jesenia as a female name
- Ranked #8,132 in 2024
- 13 female births in 2024
- Peak: 1990 (195 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Jesenia appears almost entirely female. Of the 4,166 people counted with this name, 99.7% were female and only a very small share were male.
Popularity
Jesenia: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Jesenia from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 1,601 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Jesenia 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 Jesenia during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Jesenias live
The SSA's state-level files cover 17 states and territories. California, New York, Texas recorded the most babies named Jesenia, while Wisconsin, Virginia, Georgia recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 206 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Jesenia
Jesenia is a Spanish name that has its roots in the Latin word "Gelsomino," which means "jasmine." It first emerged in the regions of Spain and Latin America during the 16th century, when Spanish explorers and colonists brought the name with them to the New World.
The name Jesenia is believed to have been inspired by the jasmine flower, which was highly valued for its delicate beauty and intoxicating fragrance. In Spanish-speaking cultures, the name has often been associated with grace, elegance, and femininity, reflecting the qualities of the jasmine blossom.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Jesenia can be found in the records of the Spanish Inquisition, where a woman named Jesenia Rodríguez was mentioned in 1592. However, it is likely that the name was in use even earlier, as many historical records from that era have been lost or destroyed.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Jesenia. One of the most famous was Jesenia Martínez (1906-1992), a renowned Cuban singer and actress who gained popularity during the golden age of Cuban cinema in the 1940s and 1950s. Her powerful vocals and captivating stage presence made her a beloved figure in Latin American entertainment.
Another notable figure was Jesenia Pizarro (1923-2018), a Chilean painter and sculptor who played a significant role in the development of modern art in Chile. Her abstract and surrealist works were widely celebrated and exhibited in galleries around the world.
In the realm of literature, Jesenia Rodríguez (1935-2005) was a prominent Peruvian poet and writer whose works explored themes of identity, social justice, and the experiences of marginalized communities. Her poetry collections, such as "Camino de Piedra" (Stone Path), were highly acclaimed and earned her numerous literary awards.
In the field of sports, Jesenia Hernández (born 1988) is a Venezuelan softball player who has represented her country in multiple international tournaments, including the Pan American Games and the World Baseball Softball Confederation World Cup.
Lastly, Jesenia Delgado (born 1979) is a Mexican-American actress and producer who has appeared in various television shows and films, including "East Los High" and "Vida." Her work has been recognized with several awards and nominations, and she has been praised for her portrayal of strong, multidimensional Latina characters.
People
Jesenia + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jesenia 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
Jesenia: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jesenia?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 4,573 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jesenia 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 74,952 US residents.
Is Jesenia a common name?
We classify Jesenia as "Rare". It ranks above 96.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 4,755 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Jesenia most popular?
The single biggest year for Jesenia was 1990, when 195 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jesenia is about 31 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Jesenia in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 4,167 people with the name Jesenia, or 1.38 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #4,468 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 Jesenia 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 Jesenia?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Jesenia appears almost entirely female. Of the 4,166 people counted with this name, 99.7% 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 Jesenia?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Jesenia is Hispanic at 95.5%. The next largest groups are White (2.7%) and Black (1.3%). 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 Jesenia most often in the Census?
Hispanic is the largest reported group for people named Jesenia in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.5% (3,980 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 Jesenia in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Jesenia a female name?
Yes, 99.9% of people registered as Jesenia 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 Jesenia still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Jesenia 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 Jesenia 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 Jesenia?
You can see how many Americans are named Jesenia on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.