Jairus
Masculine · “he will enlighten”
Jairus is 'he will enlighten' in Hebrew — and the synagogue leader of that name asks Jesus to heal his daughter.
How old is the name Jairus?
Jairus first appears in US birth records in 1933 — 92 years ago. The typical Jairus alive today was born around 2003, making them about 22 years old. About 2,700 people named Jairus are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Jairus most popular?
Jairus peaked in 1994, reaching #1353 nationally. Today it ranks #2604, 1,251 places below that high. See the whole 1994 chart.
Jairus appears on this list:
Where it comes from
From Ya'ir to Jairus
The story of Jairus
Mark and Luke have Jairus, a synagogue leader, beg Jesus to come to his dying daughter, and the account is interrupted mid-journey by another healing before he arrives. That his name may mean 'he will awaken' has been much noticed. It appears in American records in current use.
Meaningscholars disagree
he will enlighten; he will awaken
From the Hebrew Ya'ir, 'he will enlighten' or 'he shines', through the Greek Iairos. A reading as 'he will awaken' is also given and fits the gospel story pointedly. Both are attributed. The Hebrew root is documented.
How the name formed
- Ya'ir
- Iairos
- Jairus
Related forms: יאיר · Ἰάειρος · Jairo
Pronouncing Jairus
JY-rus
Two syllables, stress on the first. Spanish Jairo is HY-roh.
Nicknames for Jairus
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1933
- Most boys named
- 201583 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1353reached in 1994
- Change vs 2024
- +61.3%50 in 2025, from 31
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Jairus in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- יאיר in Hebrew — related form
- Ἰάειρος in Greek — transliteration
- Jairo in Spanish — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: Texas, California, New Jersey.
Jairuss among us
people named Jairus are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 34,162 born in 2025 was named Jairus
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Demetrious test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Jairus's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Demetrious climbed just as high around 1971, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Demetrious's path sketches the road Jairus is walking now.
Jairus sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Jairus is headed
Jairus is easing off slowly — about 20% fewer babies a year by 2030 if the trend continues.
Medium confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Jairus beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Jairus in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- That the name may mean 'he will awaken' fits the story pointedly.
- Jair is available as a short form with real use.
- Two clean syllables with no pronunciation risk.
- The two readings are both attributed and neither is settled.
- It reads as strongly biblical.
- It is genuinely rare and will be asked about.
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What they receive
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Jairus
Masculine · #2604 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Jairuss are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 2,700 people named Jairus are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Jairus in 2025?
- Jairus ranks #2604 among US boy names in 2025, with 50 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Jairus?
- About 1 in every 34,162 US boys born in 2025 was named Jairus — 50 in all.
- Will my child share the name Jairus with classmates?
- Jairus will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Jairus
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Yahia#2604 · Larson#2604 · Mazin#2604 · Rowe#2604 · Hendrik#2604 · Dayvon#2604 · Kipton#2604 · Finlay#2604
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Jairus? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Jairus and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
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Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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