Given name & surname
Jesus
“God is my salvation”
Jesus is used as a given name and a surname. One Hebrew interpretation is “God is my salvation.”
Original Hebrewישוע
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Hebrew interpretation is “God is my salvation.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Hebrew.
How it developed
In Cebuano usage, Jesus developed from Jesús. In English usage, Jesus developed from Ἰησοῦς.
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.
From dated birth records
In the Bible
In the Bible, the name Jesus appears in Luke 3:29, Colossians 4:11.
- Luke 3:29
- Colossians 4:11
From biblical name research
Jesus through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 246,966
- 244,281 boys · 2,685 girls
- Most popular year
- 2004
- 6,508 babies
- 2025
- 2,084
- #173 for boys · #13,960 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −18%
- Easing
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 2,078 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 173 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 17.8% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 6,472 in 2004. It also appeared in 6 birth records for girls in 2025. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (550). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 331,353 as a first name in 2020; 2,294 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.
Jesus’s family of names
In Cebuano usage, Jesus developed from the Spanish form Jesús. In German usage, Jesus has a related form in Josua. In German usage, Jesus has a conventional equivalent in the Italian form Gesù.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Jesus has relatives in 31 languages. Lines run from its Hebrew roots to each of them.
Hebrewwhere Jesus comes from · 1 name
Nicknames & forms 12
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- ישועvariant · Hebrew
- Jjesuslikely variant
- Josuavariant · German
- Jehoshuavariant · German
- Jesusslikely variant
- Iesusvariant · Latin
- Jesúsvariant · Spanish, Catalan
- Jesuesvariant
Show 4 moreShow fewer
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 32
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- Isaequivalent
- Yeshuaequivalent
- Eisarelated form
- Chesúsequivalent
- Yesusequivalent
- Yesuequivalent
- Xuasúsequivalent
- Исаequivalent
Show 24 moreShow fewer
See also 8
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Jesus
- Sixto RodriguezAmerican musician (1942–2023)
- Jesús AresoSpanish association football playerborn 1999
- Jesus VarelaFilipino bishop (1927–2018)
- Jesus TuquibCatholic archbishop1930–2019
- Jesús Santos AguilarMexican mixed martial arts artistborn 1996
- Jesus son of DamneusHigh Priest of Israel50
- Jesus DosadoArchbishop of Ozamis; Philippino Catholic bishop (1939–2020)
- Jesse VassalloPuerto Rican and American swimmer, Olympic athlete, world champion, former world record-holderborn 1961
- Jesus LuzBrazilian fashion model and Disc jockeyborn 1987
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Jesus, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Jonah
“dove”
99% boys · 1% girls
Jeremiah
“appointed by God” · “one who is exalted by the Lord”
>99% boys
Ethan
“firmness” · “long-lived”
>99% boys
Jared
“descent” · “of the descent; descending”
>99% boys
Jacob
“heel grabber” · “supplanter”
>99% boys
Emmanuel
“God is with us”
>99% boys
Eli
“one who has ascended; my God on high”
99% boys · 1% girls
Javan
“mire” · “mud man”
>99% boys