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Jesse

Boy / Girl name · 169 babies recorded · 1974–2025

Jesse: 169 babies born in Scotland since 1974, given to both boys and girls, peaking at 23 births in 2022.

Jesse comes from the Hebrew Yishai, meaning “gift” or “God exists,” and it holds deep Biblical roots as the father of King David. In modern times, the name has been carried by famous figures such as the outlaw Jesse James, whose life became legend in the American West; Olympic gold medalist Jesse Owens, who defied Nazi racial theories at the 1936 Berlin Olympics; and civil rights leader Jesse Jackson. While not tied to many place names, the name appears in the Scottish diminutive Jessie, a familiar variant often given to girls. Culturally, the Jesse tree in Christian art symbolises the ancestry of Jesus, linking the name to centuries of storytelling