Jera
Feminine
Jera is four letters, and it is also the name of a letter: one of the runes of the old Germanic alphabet, and unusually among them, one that stands for something entirely benign.
How old is the name Jera?
Jera first appears in US birth records in 1953 — 72 years ago. The typical Jera alive today was born around 1988, making them about 37 years old. About 700 people named Jera are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Jera most popular?
Jera peaked in 1980, reaching #3134 nationally. See the whole 1980 chart.
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
Our story of Jera
Each rune had a name as well as a sound, and the names are preserved in rune poems from England, Norway and Iceland. Jera means year, and the Old English poem glosses it as the harvest: the hope of a good season for rich and poor alike when the earth gives its increase. That is a mild entry in a list that also includes hail, need, ice and a rune whose meaning nobody has recovered. The shape of the letter, two angled pieces facing each other, is often read as the turn of the seasons. The same word gives the German Jahr and the English year, and it is one of the oldest words in the family.
Meaningnot established
Not established
No source has been documented for the American name. The rune is a coincidence of spelling rather than an established origin, and it would be dishonest to give a family a meaning on that basis.
Pronouncing Jera
JEH-ruh
Two syllables with the stress in front. JEER-uh is also heard, and the rune itself was said with a y sound at the front.
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
- 1953
- Most girls named
- 198027 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #3134reached in 1980
- Change vs 2022
- −25.0%6 in 2023, from 8
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.
Jeras among us
people named Jera 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
Jera 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
- Four letters and two syllables: about as short and clear as a name gets.
- It is genuinely rare in the American record, which few names can honestly claim.
- It is soft and carries well over a phone line.
- Two pronunciations are in circulation and the spelling settles neither.
- It will be heard as Jara, Sierra or Jerry by people catching it once.
- No origin is documented, so the meaning question has nothing to answer with.
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Jera
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Jeras are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 700 people named Jera are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Jera in 2025?
- Jera is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Jera with classmates?
- Jera 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 Jera? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Jera and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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