Fun Facts About the Name Jimena
- More than 17 thousand babies named Jimena: U.S. records list 17,039 babies given the name Jimena from 1880 through 2025. Even 8 boys received the name Jimena - about 1 boy for every 2,129 girls.
What Does the Name Jimena Mean?
Jimena is a Spanish feminine given name, the female counterpart of the medieval masculine name Ximeno (also spelled Jimeno). The meaning of that root is not settled. A commonly repeated explanation traces Ximeno to the Basque word seme, "son," by way of a Basque personal name sometimes written Semen; if that derivation is correct, the original sense would have been "son." Other writers have connected Jimena to the Hebrew name Simeon (Shim'on, traditionally explained as "he has heard") on the strength of the similar sound, but Simeon is a separate name with its own history, and the resemblance is generally treated as coincidental rather than as a shared origin. Because the older forms are not fully explained, the honest summary is that the etymology remains uncertain.
Jimena Name History & Origins
The masculine Ximeno/Jimeno was a common name in the medieval Iberian kingdoms of Navarre and Castile, and it gave rise to the widespread surname Jiménez, which literally means "son of Jimeno." The feminine Ximena appears in the same medieval period. Its best-known bearer is Jimena Díaz, wife of the Castilian knight Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, El Cid. She survived him and defended Valencia after his death in 1099, and her name is preserved in the Latin and Romance documents connected with her. She also appears as a character in the Cantar de Mio Cid, the epic poem composed about a century later; that poem is a literary portrait, not the earliest record of the name.
In Old Spanish the initial x stood for the sound "sh," so Ximena was pronounced roughly "she-ME-na." As the language changed, that sound shifted to the modern j sound, and the spelling followed, giving Jimena; the older x spelling survives and is still used, especially in Latin America. The name also appears in Spanish place names, such as Jimena de la Frontera in the province of Cádiz and the town of Jimena in Jaén.
How Popular is the Name Jimena?
Jimena recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 2016. Its best rank was #387 in 2005.
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 | #578 | 515 | 0.0320% |
| 2024 | #536 | 563 | 0.0349% |
| 2023 | #477 | 640 | 0.0399% |
| 2022 | #498 | 636 | 0.0388% |
| 2021 | #484 | 649 | 0.0396% |
| 2020 | #513 | 591 | 0.0366% |
| 2019 | #473 | 661 | 0.0394% |
| 2018 | #448 | 714 | 0.0420% |
| 2017 | #407 | 778 | 0.0451% |
| 2016 | #400 | 830 | 0.0469% |
| 2015 | #456 | 693 | 0.0388% |
| 2014 | #439 | 731 | 0.0409% |
| 2013 | #453 | 670 | 0.0382% |
| 2012 | #477 | 641 | 0.0364% |
| 2011 | #437 | 716 | 0.0407% |
| 2010 | #403 | 797 | 0.0448% |
| 2009 | #392 | 806 | 0.0439% |
| 2008 | #402 | 803 | 0.0425% |
| 2007 | #525 | 595 | 0.0310% |
| 2006 | #471 | 669 | 0.0352% |
| 2005 | #387 | 811 | 0.0439% |
| 2004 | #464 | 640 | 0.0349% |
| 2003 | #520 | 542 | 0.0297% |
| 2002 | #551 | 498 | 0.0277% |
| 2001 | #875 | 262 | 0.0146% |
| 2000 | #2,222 | 71 | 0.0039% |
| 1999 | #3,124 | 42 | 0.0024% |
| 1998 | #3,381 | 36 | 0.0020% |
| 1997 | #2,678 | 47 | 0.0027% |
| 1996 | #3,175 | 37 | 0.0021% |
| 1995 | #3,176 | 36 | 0.0020% |
| 1994 | #2,681 | 46 | 0.0026% |
| 1993 | #3,533 | 31 | 0.0017% |
| 1992 | #2,998 | 39 | 0.0021% |
| 1991 | #3,660 | 29 | 0.0015% |
| 1990 | #3,749 | 28 | 0.0015% |
| 1989 | #4,056 | 24 | 0.0013% |
| 1988 | #4,559 | 19 | 0.0011% |
| 1987 | #4,369 | 19 | 0.0011% |
| 1986 | #8,939 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1985 | #7,875 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1984 | #8,541 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1982 | #5,048 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 1981 | #3,785 | 21 | 0.0013% |
| 1980 | #7,029 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1970 | #8,530 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1966 | #6,999 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | #8,499 | 8 | 0.0004% |
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.
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How the Name Jimena 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 intuitive and might be interested in the arts, drama or science.
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.
✦ Jimena's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Jimena's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.