Jalesa
Feminine
Jalesa is a late-twentieth-century American name with a quick, even rhythm: three syllables, the stress in the middle. It opens on J, a letter English took centuries to separate from I.
How old is the name Jalesa?
Jalesa first appears in US birth records in 1988 — 37 years ago. The typical Jalesa alive today was born around 1991, making them about 34 years old. About 600 people named Jalesa are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Jalesa most popular?
Jalesa peaked in 1990, reaching #1605 nationally. See the whole 1990 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
Our story of Jalesa
Jalesa opens on a letter that was a latecomer. For centuries J was only a decorative way of writing I, and Samuel Johnson's dictionary of 1755 still filed its J words among the I's; the letter earned a place of its own only afterward. The name then borrows the lilt of Lisa and Teresa and closes on a soft -sa, three evenly weighted syllables that carry across a yard. It even sounds a little like Jalisco without owing that place anything. What it owes is its sound, and the sound is its own.
Meaningnot established
Not established
No source for Jalesa is recorded. Its parts are familiar — the Ja- that opened many American names of its era and a back half that sounds like Lisa or Lesa — but nothing documents which name, if any, it was built on. It resembles Jalisco, the Mexican state whose name comes from Nahuatl, but there is no connection between them.
Pronouncing Jalesa
juh-LEE-suh
The single s is said as s by some families and as z by others; both are heard.
Nicknames for Jalesa
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
- 1988
- Most girls named
- 199093 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1605reached in 1990
- Change vs 2008
- 0.0%7 in 2011, from 7
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.
Jalesas among us
people named Jalesa are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Jalesa sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- Three even syllables that are easy to say once heard.
- Built from familiar sounds, so it sits comfortably among American names of its era.
- Very rare, so a Jalesa is unlikely to share her name.
- Jalisa, Jalissa and Jaleesa are all likely guesses, so it will need spelling out.
- Without a documented meaning, there is nothing to say when someone asks what it means, only how it sounds.
- It is closely tied to its era, which some families like and some do not.
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Jalesa
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Jalesas are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 600 people named Jalesa are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Jalesa in 2025?
- Jalesa is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Jalesa with classmates?
- Jalesa will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More J names
The most-given names starting with J, all years combined.
Jennifer#586 · Jessica#665 · Janet#2778 · Julie#872 · Joyce#1071 · Joan#1085 · Julia#131 · Jean#2117
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Jalesa? See the current top 100.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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