NameCensus.

UK boy's name

Jed

A masculine name of Hebrew origin meaning "beloved".

For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.

Jed is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Jed popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #1758, with 14 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 1997, with 139 births.

This profile covers 1,839 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.

The latest count is about 10% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 2,067 living people in the UK are called Jed. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.

Key insights

  • Jed ranked #1758 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 14 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 1997, when 139 boys were registered as Jed.
  • Jed ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #415 in 2015.
  • About 2,067 living people in the UK are estimated to have Jed as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#1758

2024

Births in 2024

14

Latest year

Peak year

1997

139 births

Estimated living

2,067

2026

Meaning

What does Jed mean?

The name Jed has its origins in the Hebrew language and culture. It is a shortened form of the name Jedidiah, which means "beloved of God" or "friend of God" in Hebrew. The name can be traced back to biblical times and is mentioned in the Old Testament as the name of King David's son, who was also known as Solomon.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Jed can be found in the Book of Samuel in the Old Testament, where it is used as a reference to King David's son, Jedidiah. The name gained popularity among Jews and later Christians, who adopted it as a way to honor the biblical figure.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Jed. One of the most famous was Jed Hotchkiss (1828-1899), an American engineer and military officer who served in the American Civil War. He is credited with developing innovative artillery tactics and was a pioneer in the field of military topography.

Another well-known Jed was Jed Prouty (1879-1956), an American character actor who appeared in over 150 films during the golden age of Hollywood. He is best remembered for his roles in films such as "Mr. Deeds Goes to Town" and "The Grapes of Wrath."

In the realm of literature, Jed Parsons (1905-1958) was a notable American author and journalist. He wrote several novels, including "The Romantic Southwest" and "The Early Adventures of Mutt the Mongrel Pup," and also worked as a foreign correspondent during World War II.

Jed Marum (1934-2019) was a pioneering computer scientist and engineer who played a crucial role in the development of the internet. He was instrumental in the creation of the ARPANET, the precursor to the modern internet, and his work laid the foundation for many of the technologies we use today.

Finally, Jed Jacobsohn (born 1963) is a renowned American photojournalist who has covered numerous major sporting events, including multiple Olympic Games and Super Bowls. His work has been published in prestigious publications such as Sports Illustrated and National Geographic.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Jed over time

The chart below shows babies named Jed registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.

For Jed, the clearest high point is 1997. The latest England and Wales figure is 14 births in 2024, compared with 139 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Jed
03570104139199620102024

Decades

Jed by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Jed was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.

Decade Average rank Total births Years covered
2020s #1513 83 5
2010s #1069 272 10
2000s #332 973 10
1990s #238 511 4

Geography

Where Jed is most common

The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Jed. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.

Jed ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #415 in 2015.

Northern Ireland
3
Scotland
3

Across the UK

Jed in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Scotland (NRS)

#701 in 2019

30 years of NRS records, 230 total registered

Northern Ireland (NISRA)

#415 in 2015

5 years of NISRA records, 18 total registered

Notable bearers

Famous people named Jed

  • Jed Smithson

    sport cyclist

    British cyclist

    2005-

  • Jed Wallace

    association football player

    British footballer

    1994-

  • Jed Harper-Penman

    association football player

    English footballer (born 1994)

    1994-

  • Jed Steer

    association football player

    English association football player (born 1992)

    1992-

  • Jed Davies

    association football coach; association football player

    Welsh football coach (born 1988)

    1988-

  • Jed O'Toole

    guitarist

    British musician

    1960-

  • Jed Williams

    journalist; jazz musician

    Welsh journalist and jazz musician (1952–2003)

    1952-2003

  • Jed Solomon

    artistic gymnast

    British artistic gymnast

Related

Names similar to Jed

FAQ

Jed: questions and answers

How popular is the name Jed in the UK right now?

In 2024, Jed was ranked #1758 for boys in England and Wales, with 14 births registered.

When was Jed most popular?

The peak year on record was 1997, with 139 babies registered as Jed in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Jed?

A masculine name of Hebrew origin meaning "beloved".

How many people are called Jed in the UK?

A total of 1,839 babies have been registered as Jed across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 230 more in Scotland and 18 in Northern Ireland.

Where is Jed most common?

In the latest published local rankings, Jed ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #415 in 2015. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.

Which records is this page based on?

The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.