NameCensus.

UK boy's name

Jeremy

A masculine given name derived from the Hebrew name "Jeremiah", meaning "God uplifts" or "exalted by God".

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.

Jeremy is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Jeremy popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #592, with 64 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 1996, with 108 births.

This profile covers 2,155 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 59% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 2,316 living people in the UK are called Jeremy. 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

  • Jeremy ranked #592 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 64 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 1996, when 108 boys were registered as Jeremy.
  • Jeremy ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #375 in 2011.
  • About 2,316 living people in the UK are estimated to have Jeremy as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#592

2024

Births in 2024

64

Latest year

Peak year

1996

108 births

Estimated living

2,316

2026

Meaning

What does Jeremy mean?

The name Jeremy has its origins in the Hebrew language and culture. It is derived from the Hebrew name Yeremeyahu or Yeremeyah, which means "appointed by God" or "Yahweh has uplifted." The name can be traced back to ancient times and is found in the Old Testament of the Bible.

Jeremy is a variant of the name Jeremiah, which was the name of one of the major prophets in the Bible. The Book of Jeremiah, which is part of the Old Testament, chronicles the life and teachings of the prophet Jeremiah, who lived in the 7th century BC during the time of the Babylonian conquest of Judah.

The name Jeremy gained popularity in England during the Middle Ages, particularly after the Norman Conquest in 1066. It was a common name among the Norman nobility, and it spread throughout Britain and other parts of Europe.

Some notable historical figures named Jeremy include Jeremy Bentham, an English philosopher, jurist, and social reformer who lived from 1748 to 1832. He is best known for his utilitarian theory of ethics and his advocacy for the reform of prisons and the legal system. Another famous Jeremy was Jeremy Taylor, an English cleric, writer, and theologian who lived from 1613 to 1667. He was a influential preacher and a prominent figure in the Church of England during the 17th century.

Jeremy Collier, an English writer and non-juror who lived from 1650 to 1726, is also noteworthy. He was known for his criticism of the English stage and his efforts to reform the theater. Jeremy Diddler, a fictional character created by the American writer James Kirke Paulding in the early 19th century, became a popular cultural reference and a symbol of financial deception and trickery.

In the 20th century, notable individuals named Jeremy include Jeremy Brett, an English actor best known for his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes in the TV series "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" (1984-1994). Jeremy Irons, an English actor born in 1948, is another prominent figure, having won an Academy Award for his performance in the film "Reversal of Fortune" (1990).

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Jeremy over time

The chart below shows babies named Jeremy 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 Jeremy, the clearest high point is 1996. The latest England and Wales figure is 64 births in 2024, compared with 108 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Jeremy
0275481108199620102024

Decades

Jeremy by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Jeremy 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 #711 243 5
2010s #550 707 10
2000s #374 820 10
1990s #283 385 4

Geography

Where Jeremy is most common

The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Jeremy. 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.

Jeremy ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #375 in 2011.

Northern Ireland
3
Scotland
3

Across the UK

Jeremy in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Scotland (NRS)

#727 in 2024

28 years of NRS records, 175 total registered

Northern Ireland (NISRA)

#375 in 2011

2 years of NISRA records, 8 total registered

Notable bearers

Famous people named Jeremy

  • Jeremy Williams

    cricketer

    English cricketer (born 1979)

    1979-

  • Jeremy Wright

    politician

    British politician (born 1972)

    1972-

  • Jeremy Weate

    philosopher

    British philosopher

    1969-

  • Jeremy West

    canoeist

    British canoeist

    1961-

  • Jeremy White

    opera singer

    English opera singer

    1953-

  • Jeremy Watson

    engineer; researcher

    professor of engineering systems

    1952-

  • Jeremy de Halpert

    naval officer

    Royal Navy admiral

    1947-

  • Jeremy Wilson

    historian

    historian, editor, publisher (1944-2017)

    1944-2017

Related

Names similar to Jeremy

FAQ

Jeremy: questions and answers

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

In 2024, Jeremy was ranked #592 for boys in England and Wales, with 64 births registered.

When was Jeremy most popular?

The peak year on record was 1996, with 108 babies registered as Jeremy in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Jeremy?

A masculine given name derived from the Hebrew name "Jeremiah", meaning "God uplifts" or "exalted by God".

How many people are called Jeremy in the UK?

A total of 2,155 babies have been registered as Jeremy across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 175 more in Scotland and 8 in Northern Ireland.

Where is Jeremy most common?

In the latest published local rankings, Jeremy ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #375 in 2011. 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.