Given name
Jedediah
“one who is loved by God”
Jedediah is a variant of Jedidiah. One Hebrew interpretation is “one who is loved by God.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Jedediah is a variant of Jedidiah. One Hebrew interpretation is “one who is loved by God.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Jedediah is a variant of Jedidiah. An origin associated with Jedidiah is Hebrew.
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1970. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. Jedediah is a variant of Jedidiah. The history of Jedidiah gives this family its wider story. Jedidiah has a place in biblical naming traditions.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Jedediah through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 3,298
- 3,298 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1979
- 248 babies
- 2025
- 45
- #2,818 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +2%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 45 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 2,818 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 1.6% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 248 in 1979. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (7). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 2,382 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Jedediah’s family of names
Jedediah has a related form in Jedidiah.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 3
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 5
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Jedediah
- Jedediah SmithAmerican explorer (1799–1831)
- Jedediah StruttEnglish hosier and cotton spinner (1726-1797)
- Jedediah M. GrantAmerican Mormon leader (1816–1856)1813–1856
- Jedediah BilaAmerican television and radio host, columnist, and authorborn 1979
- Jedediah HotchkissConfederate Army officer cartographer, and topographer (1828–1899)
- Jedediah Slason CarvellCanadian Member of Parliament (1832-1894)
- Jedediah K. SmithAmerican politician (1770–1828)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Jedediah, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Jedadiah
“one who is loved by God”
>99% boys
Jeconiah
“Yah establishes” · “the Lord will establish”
>99% boys
Jeremy
“one who is exalted by the Lord” · “appointed by God”
>99% boys
Jerem
“one who is exalted by the Lord”
>99% boys
Eran
“one who has been awakened”
>99% boys
Jens
“God is gracious”
>99% boys
Adams
“man” · “of the earth”
>99% boys
Benji
“son of the right hand” · “son of the south”
98% boys · 2% girls