boy's name
Jerome
juh-ROHM (English)
- Origin Greek
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 6
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 376,591
Canada
#771
2024 births
Jerome is a boy's name meaning sacred name, and it belongs to the scholar who translated the Bible into Latin — the version Western Europe read for over a thousand years. It peaked in 1974 and charts in four markets.
- Jerome is a name of Greek origin.
- Peaked in France in 1974, when 14,760 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade in France.
- First appears in birth records in 1900.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 2.
Jerome Over Time
Births per decade in France, 1900s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, which so far covers 2020 to 2025.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1900s | 1,200 |
| 1910s | 955 |
| 1920s | 1,125 |
| 1930s | 1,015 |
| 1940s | 1,155 |
| 1950s | 3,455 |
| 1960s | 21,855 |
| 1970s | 104,505 |
| 1980s | 56,355 |
| 1990s | 14,180 |
| 2000s | 2,235 |
| 2010s | 370 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 75 |
What Jerome Means
Jerome means sacred name, or holy name. The Greek joins a word for holy to the word for a name, so it describes the name itself as consecrated rather than the person.
Where Jerome Comes From
Jerome comes from the Greek Hieronymos — hieros, sacred, joined to onoma, a name. Its weight comes almost entirely from one man: Eusebius Hieronymus, who spent decades in Bethlehem translating the scriptures from Hebrew and Greek into Latin, producing the Vulgate that Western Christianity used as its Bible until the Reformation and the Catholic Church until the twentieth century. He was famously difficult, and is usually painted with a lion, from a legend about removing a thorn from its paw. The same Greek hieros gives hieroglyph, sacred carving, and hierarchy.
Jerome in Use
Jerome peaked in France in 1974, when 14,760 babies were registered, and is falling. It now ranks 1,259th in the United States on 158 births, 1,463rd in England and Wales on 19 and 3,426th in France, across 376,591 lifetime births in four markets. France holds most of its history but now gives it the weakest of the three positions.
How Popular Is Jerome?
In 2021, Jerome was given to 5 babies in France. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Jerome Is Used
French counts are rounded to the nearest five and nothing below five is published, so these figures show the shape of the name's use rather than an exact tally. Data & sources.
How Jerome Is Spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Jérôme | Jérôme is a rare spelling of Jerome, written with an acute accent and recorded about 23,085 times, mostly in France. | 23,085 |
| Jérome | Jérome is a rare spelling of Jerome, written with an acute accent and recorded about 2,120 times, mostly in France. | 2,120 |
| Jerôme | Jerôme is a rare spelling of Jerome, written with a circumflex and recorded about 1,120 times, mostly in France. | 1,120 |
| Jéröme | Jéröme is Jerome written with an acute accent in France, and the spelling parents there overwhelmingly choose: it ranks #2,310 in France, against #7,067 for Jerome. | 25 |
Names That Peaked Alongside Jerome
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents Who Like Jerome Also Like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Jerome over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
How to Say Jerome
- English juh-ROHM /dʒəˈɹoʊm/
1 nickname for Jerome
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.
Jerome 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.
- Italian
- Girolamo
Sibling Names for Jerome
Names from the same era that do not rhyme or share an initial with Jerome — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common Questions About Jerome
What does the name Jerome mean?
Sacred name — the Greek hieros, holy, joined to onoma, a name.
Who was Saint Jerome?
The scholar who translated the Bible into Latin, producing the Vulgate that Western Europe read for over a thousand years.
Why is Jerome painted with a lion?
From a legend that he removed a thorn from a lion's paw and it stayed with him.
How popular is Jerome?
1,259th in the United States and 1,463rd in England and Wales.
Is Jerome a girl's or a boy's name?
Jerome is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Jerome?
Jerome has 2 syllables.
What are the nicknames for Jerome?
Jerome is usually shortened to Jerry.
Is Jerome a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Jerome currently ranks #771 in France. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.