Jasmine

A flower name with Persian roots

Jasmine takes its meaning from the fragrant flowering plant. The English flower word ultimately comes from Persian yāsamīn, traveling through Arabic before becoming familiar in European languages. As a given name, Jasmine belongs to the botanical tradition alongside names such as Rose and Lily.

The Persian word is also used as a personal name. English Jasmine therefore has both the immediate familiarity of a flower name and a wider linguistic history. Jasmin, Yasmin, and Yasemin are related forms found in different naming traditions.

The flower behind the name

Common jasmine, Jasminum officinale, is a climbing shrub with strongly scented white or very pale pink flowers. Its flowers have five petals, and the plant belongs to the olive family, which also includes ash and lilac. Its fragrance has made it an important plant in the history of perfume.

Jasmine has been cultivated for at least two thousand years. It was valued in India, China, and Persia before becoming increasingly popular in Europe during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. That long history of cultivation gives the name a specific botanical background: a scented climbing plant associated with gardens, flowers, and perfumery.

Princess Jasmine in Aladdin

Disney's animated Aladdin, released in 1992, gave Jasmine an especially recognizable fictional bearer. The princess is the daughter of the Sultan of Agrabah, a fictional city. She wants a life beyond the restrictions of the palace and encounters Aladdin before he presents himself as a prince.

His royal disguise does not win her over in the way he expects. The story places her choices within an adventure involving the Genie, a magic lamp, and the ambitions of Jafar. The character made Jasmine familiar to many children at a time when the name was already rising in American use.

Jasmine Guillory and contemporary romance

Writer Jasmine Guillory supplies a modern literary bearer. Her debut novel The Wedding Date appeared in 2018, turning a last-minute wedding invitation and a pretend date into the starting point for a romance.

Her later books include The Proposal and By the Book. These novels place Jasmine on the covers of contemporary romantic fiction, giving the name a literary bearer alongside its animated character.

Pronunciation and familiar forms

English Jasmine is usually JAZ-min, with two syllables and the stress at the beginning. French Jasmine has a softer initial sound, like the s in measure. Jasmin is a close spelling relative; Persian-rooted Yasmin and Turkish Yasemin retain a y sound at the beginning.

Popularity in the United States

Jasmine reached number 23 for American girls in 1993, with 12,063 births, its largest annual count. It ranked number 110 in 2015, number 140 in 2020, and number 206 in 2025, when 1,481 girls received the name. Its early-1990s peak remains its strongest American period.

How popular is Jasmine?

In 2025, Jasmine ranked #206 among girls in the United States, with 1,481 recorded uses. The U.S. birth records first list this spelling for girls in 1906; its largest annual count was 12,063 in 1993. Rankings count each spelling separately. They describe national use, so local familiarity can differ. The popularity chart shows whether the name has remained common, returned after a quieter period, or risen recently.