Jolee
Feminine · “he will add”
Jolee joins Jo to a -lee ending, and Jo shortens Josephine — 'he will add', in Hebrew.
How old is the name Jolee?
Jolee first appears in US birth records in 1939 — 86 years ago. The typical Jolee alive today was born around 2007, making them about 18 years old. About 3,800 people named Jolee are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Jolee most popular?
Jolee peaked in 2017, reaching #1416 nationally. Today it ranks #2645, 1,229 places below that high. See the whole 2017 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
Our story of Jolee
Our story of Jolee is a story of three possible parents. Jo shortens Josephine and Joanna, both from Hebrew names with transparent meanings. The -lee ending is a genuine Old English clearing. And the French jolie means pretty, which the sound suggests strongly. American families built Jolee and Jolie from the 1970s, and which they meant is not recorded.
Meaningscholars disagree
he will add; clearing
The Jo- front generally shortens Josephine or Joanna, from the Hebrew Yosef, 'he will add', or Yochanan, 'the Lord is gracious'. The -lee ending is the Old English leah, 'clearing'. It may alternatively reflect the French jolie, 'pretty'. Neither is established.
Pronouncing Jolee
JOH-lee
Two syllables, stress on the first. Jolee and Jolie are said identically in American use.
Nicknames for Jolee
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
- 1939
- Most girls named
- 2017161 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1416reached in 2017
- Change vs 2023
- −20.7%65 in 2025, from 82
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.
Jolee in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Jolie in English — spelling variant
- Jolie in French — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: Texas, California, Louisiana.
Jolees among us
people named Jolee are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 24,727 born in 2025 was named Jolee
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 Klarissa test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Jolee's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Klarissa climbed just as high around 1998, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Klarissa's path sketches the road Jolee is walking now.
Jolee 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 Jolee is headed
Jolee 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.
Jolee beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Jolee in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- Jo and Lee are two short forms, both with large records.
- The French 'pretty' reading is attractive where it holds.
- Two clean syllables with no pronunciation risk.
- No single origin is established.
- One actress dominates the Jolie spelling's association.
- It will be respelled by other people constantly.
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What they receive
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Jolee
Feminine · #2645 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Jolees are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 3,800 people named Jolee are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Jolee in 2025?
- Jolee ranks #2645 among US girl names in 2025, with 65 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Jolee?
- About 1 in every 24,727 US girls born in 2025 was named Jolee — 65 in all.
- Will my child share the name Jolee with classmates?
- Jolee will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Jolee
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Caliana#2645 · Aaira#2645 · Wylie#2645 · Henrietta#2645 · Mahogany#2645 · Amaiah#2645 · Charlize#2645 · Esra#2645
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Jolee? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Jolee and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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