Jimena
The story
Jimena is the Spanish variant of Ximena, and reference works do not give the pair a settled deeper meaning. The two spellings preserve an old orthographic story: Spanish x once represented a sound that later developed toward today's j sound, while names such as Ximena kept the historical letter. Both forms are pronounced with that modern Spanish sound. The medieval bearer Jimena Díaz married El Cid and governed Valencia after his death, from 1099 until 1102. In the US record, Jimena rises from about 370 girls in the 1990s to 5,700 in the 2000s and 7,200 in the 2010s, with 3,600 so far this decade. The published totals are about 17,000 girls and eight boys. That curve is American; the older story lives in the distance between x and j. Jimena carries history without needing an invented translation.
Popularity, 1890–2024
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Jimena peaked in the 2010s.
See popularity in Brazil
Popularity in Brazil
259 people · the #21,154 first name in Brazil · about 1 in 1,000,000 · median age 33
Among people named Jimena living in Brazil at the 2022 census, more were born in the 1980s than in any other decade.
Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
When you meet Jimena
Most people given the name Jimena in the United States are children or teenagers today. The name belongs to this generation.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
The Jimena deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Jimena truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Jimena fits with your family’s names and surname.
Where Jimena travels
Mexican American · A familiar Spanish-language choice in Mexican American families.
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