Jett: Baby Name of the Day

The baby name Jett combines surname style with the possibility of the wild blue yonder.

Thanks to Photoquilty, Jill, and Priscilla for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day.

WHAT DOES THE NAME JETT MEAN?

The word jet doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with the surname Jett. 

Except for when it does.

Either could be inspiration for the given name.

Let’s start with the English word. 

Jet has multiple meanings, including:

• Jet or jetstone is a name for deep black lignite, a stone named for Gages, an area in Asia Minor. Ancient cultures, including the Romans, used it in decorative objects and believed it could ward off evil. Over time, jet became a color and adjective, too – jet black. 
• In Middle English, getten or jetten meant to swagger. It survives in surnames like Geater, Jetter, and Jeter, given to a boastful person. Though all of those last names might have separate origins, too. It could be an occupational surname for someone who casts – or throws – metal, which leads us to the next possibility. 
• A stream of water, or something shooting out, like water. This comes from the French word jeter, meaning to throw.

This last concept is why it’s a jet engine. Jet propulsion involves ejecting a jet of fluid in the opposite direction. (Apparently, Newton’s third law is involved.) The theory exists for centuries before man could actually create jet engines. 

Developed in the 1920s, jet engines were first used during World War II. By the 1950s, airplanes with jet engines were carrying passengers. (Which gave the world a jet set.)

And if we could travel by jet, we could also jet – leave. 

But how about the last or first name Jett?

As a surname, it could be inspired by any of these concepts – the color black, jet aircraft, a prideful person, and so on. 

But there’s another possibility. Jette – or Jetté – might have been a surname given to a foundling. A child who was “thrown out.”

There’s also Jetson. Odds are it comes from the same roots as Judson, making it a cousin to Jordan, rather than Jett.

So when did Jett cross over from last name to first?

GEORGIA’S JETT

When it comes to notable figures, one stands out. Jett Thomas of Georgia fought in the War of 1812. Thomas went on to serve in the Georgia House of Representatives and play a key role in developing the University of Georgia.

It’s not clear where his unusual given name came from, but it seems likely that it started out as a family surname. (A glance at his family tree shows that Jett was passed down as a middle to future generations, and other family surnames were in use, too.)

When popularity data is first reported for the United States, beginning in 1880, the name Jett surfaces in small numbers. 

But the baby name Jett remains rare until the middle of the twentieth century.

JETT IN POP CULTURE

This seems like a twenty-first century name, and indeed, Jett first cracked the US Top 1000 back in 1999.

But Jett’s profile was on the rise throughout the twentieth century.

• James Dean played Jett Rink in 1956’s Giant. Dean scored a posthumous Oscar nomination for his role as  the oil tycoon.
• Since 1957, the Sharks and the Jets have faced off in West Side Story.
• Back in 1963, the New York Titans became the New York Jets.
• In the 1970s, Elton John scored a hit with “Bennie and the Jets,” as did Paul McCartney and Wings with “Jet.” John’s Jets were a fictional backing band for the equally imaginary Bennie, but McCartney’s Jet was real – only a black pony, not a person.
• Joan Marie Larkin changed her name to Joan Jett and co-founded the Runaways in 1975. She graduated to fronting her own band, as Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, becoming a rock icon and the godmother of punk along the way.
• Martial artist Jet Li has been acting since the 1980s, in films like Once Upon A Time in China and Romeo Must Die. It wasn’t until the late 90s that Li became famous in the US.
• Late 20th century manga series Cowboy Bebop gave us Jet Black.
• Around the same time, the Disney Channel debuted The Famous Jett Jackson. The show ran from 1998 to 2001.

In recent years, it’s been a choice for high profile celebrities, too. Kelly Preston and John Travolta named their son Jett after dad’s love of aviation, back in 1992. Jett Travolta’s tragic loss in 2009 made international headlines.

George Lucas named his son Jett in 1993. Jett Lucas went on to appear in two of the Star Wars prequels as a character called Zett Jukassa. 

Elsewhere in the English-speaking world, there’s Australian celebrity Jett Kenny, and reality star Katie Price’s son Jett Riviera, a sibling for Harvey, Junior, Princess, and Bunny.

HOW POPULAR IS THE NAME JETT?

When it comes to the popularity of the name Jett, there’s no question that it’s a twenty-first century style star.

The name debuted in the US Top 1000 in 1999. 

It spiked in use in 2009, possibly due to media coverage of John Travolta’s late son. 

Or maybe it was just the right moment for the baby name Jett. 

The black gemstone might’ve appealed to the same parents embracing names like Jasper and Ruby. 

Jett also fits with so many bold, epic names for boys. Maverick, Legend, Blaze, Jett. 

By 2019, the name ranked in the US Top 300. As of 2023, the name stands at #206, the highest rank yet. 

How about Jet, with just one T? As of 2023, 145 boys were named Jet – that’s considerably less common.

JETT AS A GIRL’S NAME

Many a popular name for boys is occasionally heard for girls. 

But there’s a strong case to consider Jett a unisex given name.

Hank Williams Sr. has a daughter known as Jett. She was born Antha Belle, but took her mother’s surname as her first name. (Just to confuse things, a baseball player for the New York Mets is also called Jett Williams. It’s his birth name.)

In Scandinavian, German, and Dutch-speaking countries, Jette can be a short form of girls’ names ending with -ette, like Henriette. Jett and Jet could also work for feminine names like Jeanette or Juliette.

Color names provide endless baby name inspiration. If Violet, Navy, and Sage work, why not a name that suggests jet black? The gemstone connection helps, too. Queen Victoria favored jewelry made from jet while in mourning, and strands of beads made from the black mineral jet were all the rage during the Roaring Twenties.

A HIGH-FLYING CHOICE

Jett just plain hits all the marks – a single-syllable name that has some history as an English name. But mostly it’s fresh and new.

It suggests all the possibility and adventure of flight, but still feels grounded. It’s a fleet, sleek, modern option that remains very wearable. 

For parents looking for something that’s very much of this generation, Jett makes for a high-flying choice.

What do you think of the baby name Jett? 

This post was originally published on June 12, 2009. It was substantially revised and re-posted on January 19, 2015 and again on January 6, 2025.