Given name & surname
Jess
“The Lord sees all”·“gift”·“God exists; a gift from God; God sees all”
In English use, Jess is a diminutive of Jessica. One Hebrew interpretation is “The Lord sees all.” Its derivation is not certain. Jess is a variant of Jesse. Interpretations include “gift” (Hebrew) and “God exists; a gift from God; God sees all” (Hebrew). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Meaning & origin
What it means
In English use, Jess is a diminutive of Jessica. One Hebrew interpretation is “The Lord sees all.” Its derivation is not certain. Jess is a variant of Jesse. Interpretations include “gift” (Hebrew) and “God exists; a gift from God; God sees all” (Hebrew). These may reflect different naming traditions. Jess is a variant of Jane. In Hebrew use, Jane carries the interpretation “God is gracious.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
In English use, Jess is a diminutive of Jessica. A possible origin is Hebrew, although the derivation remains uncertain. Jess is a variant of Jesse. An origin associated with Jesse is Hebrew.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
Jess is a short form of Jessica.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. In English use, Jess is a diminutive of Jessica. The history of Jessica gives this family its wider story. Jessica is Shylock’s daughter in The Merchant of Venice. Shakespeare’s immediate inspiration is unknown, but the biblical spelling Jesca—corresponding to Iscah in Genesis 11:29—has been proposed as a starting point. Jess is a variant of Jane. The history of Jane gives this family its wider story. Lady Jane Grey is one of the name’s historical bearers. In fiction, Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre gave it a lasting nineteenth-century association; the novel appeared in 1847.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Jess through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 25,550
- 25,063 boys · 487 girls
- Most popular year
- 1915
- 584 babies
- 2025
- 28
- #5,299 for boys · #9,747 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +1%
- Steady
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 80% boys.
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 18 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 5,299 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 17.7% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 577 in 1915. It also appeared in 10 birth records for girls in 2025. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 18,154 as a first name in 2020; 1,526 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Jess’s family of names
In English usage, Jess is a diminutive of Jessica. Jess has a related form in Jesse. Jess is a short form of Jessica.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 6
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Jess
- Jess GlynneBritish singer (born 1989)
- Jess WadeBritish physicist, Wikimedian, and campaigner for gender inclusion in scienceborn 1988
- Jess HarnellAmerican voice actorborn 1963
- Jess FishlockWelsh footballerborn 1987
- Jess ParkEnglish association football player (born 2001)
- Jess WillardAmerican boxer (1881–1968)
- Jess ThorupDanish association football player and managerborn 1970
- Jess CarterEnglish association football player (born 1997)
- Jess PhillipsBritish politician (born 1981)
Characters named Jess: Jess Mariano (Gilmore Girls).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Jess, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Enos
“mankind” · “a man”
>99% boys
Jean
“God is gracious”
66% boys · 34% girls
Mose
Mose is a given name from Latin. It is used in German.
>99% boys
Abe
“father of a multitude; father of nations” · “father of a multitude (of nations)”
>99% boys
Rowland
“from the renowned land”
>99% boys
Homer
“a tomboyish woman” · “of the pledge; an epic poet”
>99% boys
Mahlon
“one who is sick”
98% boys · 2% girls
Sam
“God has heard” · “asked of God”
97% boys · 3% girls