Jinger
A feminine variation of the name Virginia, possibly derived from the French word gingembre, meaning "ginger."
Name Census estimates that about 460 living Americans carry the first name Jinger. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Jinger today is around 40 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jinger births was 1982 (19 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jinger. 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
460
~ 1 in 745,118 Americans
Peak year
1982
19 babies that year
Average age
40
years old
2024 SSA rank
#14,207
Tracked since 1950
Census
Jinger in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 510 people with the first name Jinger, which placed it at #20,297 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
#20,297
National first-name rank
People counted
510
510 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
77.5% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jinger
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Jinger is White at 77.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (6.1%). 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 Jinger 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 Jinger at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.5% · 395
- Hispanic or Latino6.7% · 34
- Asian and Pacific Islander6.1% · 31
- Black or African American4.3% · 22
- Two or more races3.7% · 19
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 9
Popularity
Jinger: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Jinger from the 1950s through to the 2020s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 129 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Jinger 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 Jinger during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Jingers live
Origin
Meaning and history of Jinger
The name Jinger is a unique and intriguing one, with a rich history and diverse cultural influences. Its origins can be traced back to the ancient Germanic language, where it is believed to have derived from the root word "inga," meaning "warrior" or "fighter." This connection suggests that the name may have initially been bestowed upon those who possessed a courageous and valiant spirit.
In the early Middle Ages, the name Jinger began to spread across various regions of Europe, particularly in areas populated by Germanic tribes. It is recorded in several ancient manuscripts and chronicles from this period, indicating its widespread use among the nobility and common folk alike.
One of the earliest documented instances of the name Jinger can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of historical documents from the 12th century. Here, the name appears as "Jingero," referring to a nobleman who held land and titles in the region of Saxony.
As the name continued to evolve over the centuries, it took on various spellings and forms, such as "Jingir," "Jinger," and "Jinghir." These variations can be found in historical records from countries like Germany, France, and England, where the name gained a foothold.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Jinger. One such person was Jinger von Sternberg (1492-1562), a German military commander and landowner who played a significant role in the Peasants' War of 1524-1525. Another was Jinger Aelfric (1021-1087), an English Benedictine monk and scholar renowned for his contributions to the Anglo-Saxon literature of the time.
In the realm of literature, the name Jinger found its way into the works of renowned authors. One example is the character Jinger Hoffmann, a pivotal figure in the 19th-century novel "The Sorrows of Young Werther" by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.
It is worth noting that the name Jinger has also been associated with various professions and trades throughout history. For instance, Jinger Baumeister (1687-1743) was a renowned German architect and builder who left an indelible mark on the architectural landscape of his time.
While the name Jinger may not be as common in modern times, its rich historical legacy serves as a testament to the enduring influence of ancient cultures and the diverse tapestry of human experience.
People
Jinger + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jinger 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
Jinger: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jinger?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 460 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jinger 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 745,118 US residents.
Is Jinger a common name?
We classify Jinger as "Very Rare". It ranks above 83.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 507 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Jinger most popular?
The single biggest year for Jinger was 1982, when 19 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jinger is about 40 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Jinger in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 510 people with the name Jinger, or 0.17 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #20,297 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 Jinger 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 Jinger?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Jinger appears almost entirely female. Of the 508 people counted with this name, 100.0% 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 Jinger?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Jinger is White at 77.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (6.1%). 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 Jinger most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Jinger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.5% (395 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 Jinger in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Jinger a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Jinger 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 Jinger still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Jinger 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 Jinger 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 Jinger?
You can see how many people have the name Jinger on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.