boy's name
Jesus
hay-SOOS
- Origin Hebrew
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 5
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 249,395
the United States
#173
2025 births
Jesus is a boy's name of Hebrew origin meaning "the Lord is salvation." It comes from Yeshua, a shortened Yehoshua — the same name as Joshua — and is a common given name across the Spanish-speaking world.
- Jesus is a name of Hebrew origin.
- Peaked in 2004, when 6,508 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 1,591 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Jesus over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s 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 |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 133 |
| 1890s | 142 |
| 1900s | 464 |
| 1910s | 2,341 |
| 1920s | 6,859 |
| 1930s | 5,660 |
| 1940s | 6,456 |
| 1950s | 8,490 |
| 1960s | 11,036 |
| 1970s | 19,158 |
| 1980s | 27,843 |
| 1990s | 49,635 |
| 2000s | 61,604 |
| 2010s | 33,889 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 13,256 |
What Jesus means
Jesus means God rescues, or the Lord is salvation. The Hebrew combines a shortening of the divine name with a root meaning to save or deliver.
Where Jesus comes from
Jesus transliterates the Greek Iēsous, itself rendering the Hebrew Yeshua, a shortened form of Yehoshua — yeho, a form of the divine name, and yasha, to save. Joshua and Jesus are therefore the same name reaching English by different routes, one through Hebrew and one through Greek and Latin. English-speaking Christians have generally treated the name as reserved, while Spanish and Portuguese Catholic tradition uses Jesús freely as a given name, which is a genuine cultural difference rather than a difference in reverence.
Jesus in use
Our data shows Jesus falling, peaking in 2004, and it first appears in our records in 1880. Its decline since 2004 follows the same pattern as Carlos and Juan — a shift among Spanish-speaking families in the United States toward names that read the same in both languages.
How popular is Jesus?
In 2025, Jesus was given to 2,084 babies in the United States, ranking #173 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Jesus 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.
How Jesus is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Jésus | Jésus is a rare spelling of Jesus, written with an acute accent and recorded about 105 times, mostly in France. | 105 |
Names that peaked alongside Jesus
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Jesus also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Jesus over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
2 nicknames for Jesus
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.
Jesus 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.
Sibling names for Jesus
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Jesus — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Jesus
What does the name Jesus mean?
Jesus means "the Lord is salvation," from the Hebrew Yeshua.
Are Jesus and Joshua the same name?
Yes — the same Hebrew original reaching English by two routes, one direct and one through Greek and Latin.
Why is Jesus used as a name in Spanish?
Spanish and Portuguese Catholic tradition uses Jesús freely as a given name. It is a cultural difference, not a difference in reverence.
How popular is the name Jesus?
In 2025, Jesus was given to 2,084 babies in the United States, ranking #173 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Is Jesus a girl's or a boy's name?
Jesus is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Jesus?
Jesus has 2 syllables.
When was Jesus most popular?
Jesus peaked in 2004, when 6,508 babies were given the name. It has been falling over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Jesus?
Jesus is usually shortened to Chuy and Holy.
Is Jesus a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Jesus currently ranks #173 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.