Holding steady.
Popularity of Jerlene since 1915
Babies named Jerlene per year in U.S. Social Security records. Raw births topped out in 1947, but relative to how few babies were recorded back then, Jerlene's real moment was 1937.
Data table (by decade)
| Decade | Girls |
|---|---|
| 1910s | 10 |
| 1920s | 115 |
| 1930s | 271 |
| 1940s | 309 |
| 1950s | 154 |
| 1960s | 33 |
| 1970s | 21 |
| 1980s | 11 |
| 1990s | 0 |
| 2000s | 0 |
| 2010s | 0 |
| 2020s | 0 |
Meaning & origin
Jerlene is a true artifact of early 20th-century American naming fashion, when the suffix '-lene' (from names like Marlene and Darlene) was applied to familiar nicknames to create feminine names. It first appeared in U.S. records in 1915 and enjoyed its peak in 1937, the same decade it saw its greatest concentration of use. Since then, its usage has fallen to fewer than 5 births per year, making it an exceedingly rare choice today. With no consistent meaning beyond its connection to Jerry, Jerlene remains a name shaped by sound and style rather than etymology.
Jerlene appears to be a 20th-century American coinage formed by adding the popular feminine suffix '-lene' to the nickname Jerry. Jerry is commonly a pet form of Gerald (from Germanic 'spear rule') or Jerome (from Greek 'sacred name'). The name first appears in U.S. records in 1915 and saw modest use during the 1930s, peaking in 1937.
Nicknames & variants
Nicknames: Jeri, Jerry, Lena
Sibling names for Jerlene
Names that share Jerlene's style, for a brother or sister.
