Jesse (given name)

Jesse is a given name of Hebrew origin. It derives its popularity from the biblical figure Jesse, father of Israelite monarch David. The English version is derived from the Latin Iesse, borrowed from the Ancient Greek Iessaí (Ἰεσσαί), and ultimately from the Hebrew Yišay (יִשַׁי).

The English name was translated into many languages (especially Romance languages and Greek). It has been a popular given name in many English-speaking countries since the 1880s. Despite being similar in appearance, it is unrelated in origin to the given name Jessica.

Cognates

 * Arabic: Yassa (يَسَّى)
 * Catalan: Jessè
 * Czech: Isaj, Jišaj
 * Dutch: Isaï, Jesse
 * English: Jess (diminutive), Jessie (alternative spelling), Jesse, Jessy (alternative spelling)
 * French: Isaï, Jessé
 * German: Isai, Jischaj
 * Greek: Iessai (Ἰεσσαί)
 * Hebrew: Yishai, Yishay
 * Indonesian: Isai, Jesse
 * Italian: Iesse
 * Latin: Isai
 * Portuguese: Jessé
 * Romanian: Isseu
 * Russian: Iessej (Cyrillic: Иессей)
 * Spanish: Isai, Isaí, Ishai, Jessé

Actors

 * Jesse Bradford, American actor
 * Jesse Borrego, American actor
 * Jesse Draper, American actress
 * Jesse Eisenberg, American actor
 * Jesse Jane, American pornographic actress
 * Jesse Heiman, American actor
 * Jesse Metcalfe, American actor
 * Jesse Randhawa, Indian actress
 * Jesse LaVercombe, Canadian-American actor
 * Jesse Lee Soffer, American actor
 * Jesse Spencer, Australian actor
 * Jesse Williams (actor), American actor
 * Jesse Tyler Ferguson, American actor

Athletes

 * Jesse, ring name of professional wrestler Ray Gordy
 * Jesse, birth name of sumo rikishi Takamiyama Daigorō
 * Jesse Anderson (American football), American professional football player
 * Jesse Barfield, professional baseball player
 * Jesse Barnes, American professional baseball player
 * Jesse Burkett, American professional baseball player, college coach
 * Jesse Carlson, American professional baseball player
 * Jesse Carver, British football player and manager
 * Jesse Chavez, American baseball player
 * Jesse Crain, Canadian professional baseball player
 * Jesse Davis, American football player
 * Jesse English, professional baseball player for the Washington Nationals
 * Jesse Foppert, professional baseball player
 * Jesse Hoffmeister, American professional baseball third baseman
 * Jesse Iwuji (born 1987), American racing driver
 * Jesse Levine (born 1987), American-Canadian professional tennis player
 * Jesse Lingard, English professional football player
 * Jesse Luketa (born 1999), Canadian-born American football player
 * Jesse Lumsden, professional football player, former McMaster University running back
 * Jesse Makarounas, Australian footballer
 * Jesse McDonald (archer) (born 1988), Australian archer
 * Jesse Orosco, professional baseball player
 * Jesse Owens, American Olympic athlete
 * Jesse Palmer, professional football player, former Bachelor star
 * Jesse Puljujärvi, professional hockey player
 * Jesse Ryder, New Zealand cricketer
 * Jesse Scholtens, American baseball player
 * Jesse Sorensen, American professional wrestler
 * Jesse Winker, American baseball player

Criminals

 * Jesse Anderson, American murderer
 * Jesse James, American Wild West outlaw
 * Jesse James Hollywood, American kidnapper and murderer
 * Jesse Pomeroy, American killer
 * Jesse Rugge, American kidnapper, involved in murder

Musicians

 * Jesse Anderson (musician) (1940–2014), American blues singer-songwriter and musician
 * Jesse Carmichael, keyboard player for the band Maroon 5
 * Jesse Cook, Canadian guitarist
 * Jesse Davis, American saxophonist
 * Jesse Ed Davis (1944–1988), American guitarist
 * Jesse Fuller, American one-man-band
 * Jesse Harris, American singer-songwriter
 * Jesse Huerta, one half of duo Jesse & Joy
 * Jesse Hughes, American frontman of the band Eagles of Death Metal
 * Jesse Hughes, Canadian DJ and producer, known by stagename Vanic
 * Jesse F. Keeler, musician, member of the band Death From Above 1979
 * Jesse Lacey, American frontman for the band Brand New
 * Jesse Lott, American artist/producer, known as "Some Nobody"
 * Jess Margera, American musician, member of the band CKY
 * Jesse McCartney, American singer
 * Jesse Michaels, Former frontman for Operation Ivy and Common Rider
 * Jesse Pintado, American guitarist, ex-member of Napalm Death and Terrorizer
 * Jesse Powell, American R&B singer
 * Jesse Quin, bassist for British band Keane
 * Jesse James Rutherford, American singer/songwriter, member of The Neighbourhood
 * Jesse Winchester (1944–2014), American singer-songwriter
 * Jesse Wood, English singer son of Ronnie Wood
 * Jesse Colin Young, American singer/songwriter, member of The Youngbloods

Politicians

 * Jesse Matlack Baker, Pennsylvania State Senator and State Representative
 * Jesse G. Bowles (1921–2007), Justice of the Supreme Court of Georgia
 * Jesse D. Bright, U.S. senator from Indiana
 * Jesse Atherton Bynum, Democratic U.S. representative from North Carolina
 * Jesse Collings, English reformer, member of Parliament, mayor of Birmingham
 * Jesse Franklin, Democratic-Republic senator and governor of North Carolina
 * Jesse Gray, New York civil rights leader and politician
 * Jesse Helms, Republican U.S. senator from North Carolina (1973–2003)
 * Jesse Jackson, American civil rights activist, politician, and minister
 * Jesse Jeremiah, Nauruan MP
 * Jesse Klaver, Dutch politician
 * Jesse Matlack (1821–1893), American politician from Pennsylvania
 * Jesse Norman, British Conservative MP for Hereford and South Herefordshire
 * Jesse Robredo, Former Mayor of Naga City in the Philippines
 * Jesse Six Dijkstra (born 1994), Dutch politician
 * Jesse B. Thomas, Democratic-Republican senator from Illinois
 * Jesse M. Unruh, Democratic politician, state treasurer of California (1975–1987)
 * Jesse Ventura, pro wrestler and governor of Minnesota
 * Jesse Johnson Yeates, Democratic U.S. representative from North Carolina
 * Jesse A. Younger, Republican U.S. representative from California

Scientists

 * Jesse L. Greenstein, American astronomer
 * Jesse William Lazear, American physician
 * Jesse Ramsden, English inventor
 * Jesse Lowen Shearer, American engineer
 * Jesse Ehrenfeld, American physician
 * Jesse K. Marden, American physician

Others

 * Jesse, father of David
 * Jesse Alto, American poker player
 * Jesse Applegate, American pioneer
 * Jesse Baird (1997–2024), Australian television presenter and Australian rules football goal umpire
 * Jesse L. Brown, American aviator, first African-American naval aviator
 * Jesse Camp, former MTV personality
 * Jesse Chabot, Canadian screenwriter
 * Jesse Cox (broadcaster) (1986–2017), Australian radio producer, broadcaster and documentary maker
 * Jesse Cox (YouTuber), American YouTube gaming personality
 * Jesse Dirkhising (1986–1999), American murder victim
 * Jesse Duke, American former slave, activist, newspaper editor
 * Jesse Dylan, American film and video director, son of Bob Dylan
 * Jesse Honey, English quiz player and winner of BBC Mastermind 2010
 * Jesse Horn, American writer and illustrator
 * Jesse Hughes, American frontiersman
 * Jesse James (television personality), American custom motorcycle builder and TV personality
 * Jesse Fuller McDonald (1858–1942), American public official, civil engineer and surveyor
 * Jesse Clyde Nichols, American real estate developer
 * Jesse B. Oldendorf, American Navy admiral
 * Jesse Shwayder (1882–1970), American businessman, founder of the Samsonite Corporation
 * Jesse Walker, American journalist and historian
 * Jesse Wellens, American YouTuber

Fictional characters

 * Jesse, the protagonist of Minecraft: Story Mode
 * Jesse, the only boy of The Teens and one of the recurring characters from an American-Canadian animated series Peg + Cat
 * Jesse, one of the troopers of the 501st Legion from Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008 TV series)
 * Jesse, from an adult animated sitcom, Solar Opposites
 * Jesse, in a Canadian animated series, Looped (TV series)
 * Jesse, an anthropomorphic tow truck in the children's TV show Finley the Fire Engine
 * Jesse Aarons, in the book Bridge to Terabithia
 * Jesse Anderson, from a Japanese anime series, Yu-Gi-Oh! GX
 * Jesse Chambers, a DC comic book superhero
 * Jesse Cosay, one of the main characters from Infinity Train
 * Jesse Custer, in the comic book series Preacher
 * Jesse Doe, a fictional 80 year old man who was said to have been found dead under an overpass in San Diego, California and was said to have been identified as being Elvis Presley
 * Jesse Duke (Dukes of Hazzard), from the TV show and movie The Dukes of Hazzard
 * Jesse Glenn, Gundalian Ventus Brawler from the animated series Bakugan: Gundalian Invaders
 * Jesse Fitzgerald, from an 2009 American film My Sister's Keeper (film)
 * Jesse Hall, one of the characters from The Mighty Ducks (1992 film) and D2: The Mighty Ducks
 * Jesse Katsopolis, in the TV sitcom Full House
 * Jesse McCree, from the video game Overwatch (video game)
 * Jesse McNally, in the T.V. Show Buffy the Vampire Slayer
 * Jesse Pinkman, in the TV series Breaking Bad
 * Jesse Porter, a burned spy who works with Michael on USA's Burn Notice
 * Jesse Ramirez, from the TV show Roswell
 * Jesse St. James, from the American TV series Glee
 * Jesse Stefanovic, in the Canadian TV series Degrassi: The Next Generation
 * Jesse Stone, from the detective movies based on the Jesse Stone novels by Robert B. Parker
 * Jesse Wallace, the protagonist from the Before trilogy.
 * Jesse Warner, the title character from a 1998-2000 sitcom Jesse (TV series).