Fun Facts About the Name Jadis
- 409 babies named Jadis: U.S. records list 409 babies given the name Jadis from 1880 through 2025. Even 184 boys received the name Jadis.
What Does the Name Jadis Mean?
Jadis is a rare given name in English that matches the French adverb jadis, meaning "formerly," "in times past," or "long ago." The French word goes back to Old French and is built from ja (from Latin iam, "already") plus dis (from Latin dies, "days") - roughly "days already gone by." In modern French it is archaic and literary rather than everyday speech.
Whether the personal name was taken directly from the French word is not documented. Its most familiar use is for the White Witch in C. S. Lewis's Narnia books, a character described as very old and as coming from a destroyed world; the French sense of "long ago" suits her, but that is an interpretation, not a recorded etymology. No separate origin for the name is established.
Jadis Name History & Origins
In French, jadis was a common adverb in the medieval and early modern periods, used in chronicles, poetry, and ordinary writing to place something in the distant past. It later dropped out of everyday use and now reads as archaic or deliberately old-fashioned.
Jadis is uncommon as a personal name in English. It is best known as the name of the White Witch in C. S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia: she appears unnamed as the Witch in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1950) and is named Jadis in The Magician's Nephew (1955), where she is the last queen of the dead world of Charn. The books give no explanation of the name, and the resemblance to the French word for "long ago" is generally treated as fitting for a character who remembers a vanished world rather than as a stated derivation.
How Popular is the Name Jadis?
Jadis has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2007. Its best rank was #3,980 in 2000.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #9,112 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 2024 | #14,130 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 2023 | #16,134 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2022 | #9,295 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 2021 | #10,604 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2020 | #8,612 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2019 | #8,799 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2018 | #6,637 | 18 | 0.0011% |
| 2017 | #11,056 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2015 | #17,533 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2013 | #15,368 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2012 | #12,676 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2011 | #17,867 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2010 | #15,735 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2009 | #6,912 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 2008 | #7,889 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 2007 | #6,184 | 22 | 0.0011% |
| 2006 | #7,629 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 2004 | #13,298 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2003 | #12,955 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2001 | #10,424 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1999 | #13,315 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | #9,250 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2021 | #7,295 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2020 | #11,138 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2018 | #7,320 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2017 | #11,312 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2016 | #12,996 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2015 | #9,080 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2014 | #12,824 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2013 | #8,375 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2011 | #13,080 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2010 | #10,099 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2009 | #9,317 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2008 | #7,923 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2007 | #9,229 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2006 | #5,173 | 17 | 0.0008% |
| 2005 | #8,607 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2004 | #6,715 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2002 | #5,865 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 2001 | #7,141 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2000 | #3,980 | 20 | 0.0010% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
Explore More Lists with Name Jadis
Most Popular Girl Names That Start with J
Short Girl Names That Start with J
How the Name Jadis Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You are honest, benevolent, brilliant and often inventive, full of high inspirations. You are courageous, honest, determined, original and creative. You are a leader, especially for a cause. Sometimes you do not care to finish what you start, and may leave details to others. You can do well in position of authority, and prospers in intellectual and professional fields. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
You are very intuitive. You have a reservoir of inspired wisdom combined with inherited analytical ability, which could reward you through expressions of spiritual leadership, business analysis, marketing, artistic visions, and scientific research. Operating on spiritual side of your individuality can bring you to the great heights, and drop you off if you neglect your spiritual identity. You are always looking for an opportunity to investigate the unknown, to use and show your mental abilities, to find the purpose and meaning of life. You want to grow wise and to understand people and things. You need privacy to replenish your energy. You have a unique way of thinking, intuitive, reflective, absorbing.
✦ Jadis's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Jadis's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.