The name Jesse comes from the Greek name Iessai and Hebrew name Yishai, which is believed to be derived from the Hebrew word shai, meaning "gift," or yesh, meaning "existence." In the Bible, Jesse was a farmer and sheep breeder in Bethlehem who is better known as the father of King David. It was a top-100 boy's name in the United States every year between 1900 and 1933, and again between 1972 and 2005. Though not as popular today, Jesse has remained in or around the top-200 every year since. It's the name celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay gave his son Jesse James, born in 2023, as well as the name of an infamous bank robber and one of the antagonists of the Pokémon franchise.
