Girl · #7,131 in 2026

Jenessa

Jenessa Grant is a Canadian actress. She has played the characters Mud in Orphan Black, Ofsamuel in The Handmaid's Tale and Aylee in Reign. She also portrays Faith Seed in the video game Far Cry 5.

Current Rank
#7,131
Peak Rank
#1,137 (1991)
Total Babies
3K
5-Yr Trend
-39%
1968
First Year
2026
Last Year
1991
Peak Year
#1137
Peak Rank
3K
Total Count
57
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Jenessa

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Jenessa Grant is a Canadian actress. She has played the characters Mud in Orphan Black, Ofsamuel in The Handmaid's Tale and Aylee in Reign. She also portrays Faith Seed in the video game Far Cry 5.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

The Story of Jenessa

Jenessa first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1968, with 6 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1991, when 156 Jenessas were born — ranking #1,137 that year. As of 2026, Jenessa ranks #7,131 for baby girls with 15 births, falling sharply (-39%). In total, more than 3K Jenessas have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1960s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

ME
WA
MT
ND
MN
WI
MI
NY
VT
NH
MA
OR
ID
SD
IA
IL
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
RI
CA
NV
WY
NE
MO
KY
WV
VA
MD
DE
DC
UT
CO
KS
AR
TN
NC
SC
AK
AZ
NM
OK
LA
MS
AL
GA
HI
TX
FL
Top 10
11-50
51-100
101-500
500+
No data

Names that sound like Jenessa

Phonetically similar names — useful when Jenessa is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Jenessa

What does the name Jenessa mean?
Jenessa Grant is a Canadian actress. She has played the characters Mud in Orphan Black, Ofsamuel in The Handmaid's Tale and Aylee in Reign. She also portrays Faith Seed in the video game Far Cry 5.
How popular is Jenessa in 2026?
In 2026, Jenessa ranks #7,131 among girls' names in the U.S., with 15 babies given the name that year.
When was Jenessa most popular?
Jenessa reached its peak popularity in 1991, ranking #1,137 that year with 156 babies given the name.
In which U.S. states is Jenessa most popular?
Jenessa has historically been most popular in Utah, Minnesota, Colorado. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Jenessa.
Is Jenessa a unisex name?
In U.S. Social Security records, Jenessa is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.
What names go well with Jenessa?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Jenessa include Ariela, Jelisa, Senie. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Jenessa

Jenessa is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1968 and has accumulated 3K births in the dataset. Jenessa's peak popularity came in 1991 when it ranked #1,137. Use the chart and map above to compare Jenessa's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

Data sources

  • Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
  • Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
  • Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
  • Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
  • Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .

Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.