Jovon
A masculine form of the name Jovan, from the Slavic variant of John.
Name Census estimates that about 2,906 living Americans carry the first name Jovon. It is a predominantly male name (90.4% of registrations). The average person named Jovon today is around 31 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jovon births was 1981 (109 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jovon. 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
2.9K
~ 1 in 117,947 Americans
Peak year
1981
109 babies that year
Average age
31
years old
2024 SSA rank
#7,008
Tracked since 1960
Census
Jovon in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 2,115 people with the first name Jovon, which placed it at #7,268 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
#7,268
National first-name rank
People counted
2.1K
2,115 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.7
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
77.0% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jovon
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Jovon is Black at 77.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.6%) and Two or More Races (5.6%). 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 Jovon 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 Jovon at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American77.0% · 1,628
- Hispanic or Latino10.6% · 224
- Two or more races5.6% · 119
- White5.0% · 106
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 20
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 18
Gender
Gender distribution for Jovon
Jovon leans heavily male at 90.4% of total registrations, but 289 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Jovon as a male name
- Ranked #7,008 in 2024
- 12 male births in 2024
- Peak: 1992 (88 births)
Jovon as a female name
- Ranked #15,510 in 1999
- 5 female births in 1999
- Peak: 1981 (29 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Jovon leans strongly male. 1,832 people counted with this name were male (86.8%), compared with 279 female bearers (13.2%).
Popularity
Jovon: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Jovon from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 821 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Jovon 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 Jovon during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Jovons live
The SSA's state-level files cover 17 states and territories. California, Illinois, New York recorded the most babies named Jovon, while Wisconsin, Missouri, Maryland recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 64 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Jovon
The name Jovon is believed to have originated from the French language, derived from the Latin name "Iovanus" or "Iovianus," which itself is a variation of the Roman name "Iovius," meaning "of Jupiter" or "belonging to Jupiter." This suggests that the name may have its roots in the ancient Roman pantheon, where Jupiter was the king of the gods.
The earliest recorded use of the name Jovon dates back to the Middle Ages in France, where it was likely used as a reference to the Roman deity Jupiter or as a way to honor the celestial body of the same name. During this time, the name may have been associated with qualities such as strength, power, and leadership, as these were attributes commonly ascribed to the Roman god Jupiter.
One of the earliest notable individuals known to have borne the name Jovon was Jovon de Chartres, a French philosopher and theologian who lived in the 12th century. He was known for his works on logic and metaphysics, and his teachings had a significant influence on the intellectual climate of his time.
Another historical figure with the name Jovon was Jovon de Meaux, a French cleric and writer who lived in the 13th century. He is best known for his chronicles documenting the events of his time, which provided valuable insights into the social and political landscape of medieval France.
In the 15th century, Jovon de Bourges was a renowned French architect who played a significant role in the construction of several notable buildings, including the Cathedral of Bourges. His innovative architectural designs and techniques were highly influential and helped shape the development of Gothic architecture in France.
During the Renaissance period, Jovon de Montaigne, a French philosopher and writer, gained recognition for his influential essays on topics ranging from morality to education. Born in 1533, his works are considered seminal contributions to the development of early modern philosophy and continue to be studied and analyzed to this day.
Another notable figure with the name Jovon was Jovon de Valois, a French nobleman and military leader who lived in the 16th century. He played a crucial role in the French Wars of Religion, serving as a prominent commander for the Catholic forces during this tumultuous period of French history.
These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who have borne the name Jovon, each leaving their mark in various fields and contributing to the cultural and intellectual landscapes of their respective eras.
People
Jovon + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jovon 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
Jovon: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jovon?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2,906 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jovon 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 117,947 US residents.
Is Jovon a common name?
We classify Jovon as "Rare". It ranks above 95.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 3,001 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Jovon most popular?
The single biggest year for Jovon was 1981, when 109 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jovon 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 Jovon in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 2,115 people with the name Jovon, or 0.70 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #7,268 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 Jovon 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 Jovon?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Jovon leans strongly male. 1,832 people counted with this name were male (86.8%), compared with 279 female bearers (13.2%). 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 Jovon?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Jovon is Black at 77.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.6%) and Two or More Races (5.6%). 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 Jovon most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Jovon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.0% (1,628 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 Jovon in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Jovon a male name?
Yes, 90.4% of people registered as Jovon 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 Jovon still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Jovon 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 Jovon 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 the name Jovon?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.