girl's name
Jaclyn
JAK-lin
- Origin American
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 6
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 51,493
Ireland
#479
1986 births
Jaclyn compresses Jacqueline, and the name underneath means heel-grabber — Jacob was born gripping his twin's heel, and every Jack, Jacques and Jacqueline descends from that description. James and Jacob are the same name, arrived at by two routes, and this is the feminine of the French one.
- Jaclyn is a name of American origin.
- Peaked in 1988, when 2,502 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 54,351 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1923.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Jaclyn over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1920s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1920s | 47 |
| 1930s | 179 |
| 1940s | 396 |
| 1950s | 753 |
| 1960s | 710 |
| 1970s | 7,039 |
| 1980s | 21,869 |
| 1990s | 12,674 |
| 2000s | 3,979 |
| 2010s | 1,578 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 510 |
What Jaclyn means
Jaclyn means heel-grabber, or supplanter, carried from Jacqueline and ultimately Jacob. The Hebrew describes the circumstances of a birth rather than a quality of the bearer.
Where Jaclyn comes from
Jaclyn is an American compression of Jacqueline, the French feminine of Jacques — itself the French James, from the Hebrew Ya'aqov. Genesis explains the name by having Jacob born holding the heel of his twin Esau, from aqev, a heel, and the supplanter sense follows from his conduct afterward. English took two names from one Latin source: Jacob kept the Hebrew shape, while James came through the Late Latin Iacomus.
Jaclyn in use
Jaclyn peaked in the United States in 1988, when 2,502 babies were registered, and is falling in our data. It charts in exactly one of the six markets we track, at 2790th in the United States on 61 births, across 51,493 lifetime births. Scotland ran a small local peak of 30 births in 1984, and our records carry the name from 1923.
How popular is Jaclyn?
In 2025, Jaclyn was given to 61 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Jaclyn is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Jaclyn
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Jaclyn also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Jaclyn over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Jaclyn
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Jaclyn in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
- Dutch
- Jacqueline
- French
- Jacqueline
Sibling names for Jaclyn
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Jaclyn — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Jaclyn
What does the name Jaclyn mean?
Heel-grabber — from Jacqueline and the Hebrew Ya'aqov.
Why does Jacob mean heel?
Genesis has him born gripping his twin Esau's heel, from the Hebrew aqev.
Are Jacob and James the same name?
Yes. James came through the Late Latin Iacomus; Jacob kept the Hebrew shape.
How popular is Jaclyn?
2790th in the United States, down from a 1988 peak of 2,502 births.
Is Jaclyn a girl's or a boy's name?
Jaclyn is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Jaclyn?
Jaclyn has 2 syllables.
What are the nicknames for Jaclyn?
Jaclyn is usually shortened to Jackie.
Is Jaclyn a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Jaclyn currently ranks #2,328 in the United States. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.