What does the name Jasmine mean?

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Jasmine

The Origin of Jasmine

The name Jasmine is a reference to the plant of the same name. Jasmine is a climbing plant, and has famously fragrant flowers and is apart of the Olive tree family. The flowers are frequently used for perfume, aromatherapy, and tea.

The word is derived from the Persian word, Yasamen, which refers to the plant, which means the Yas flower.  In Arabic Jasmine means “gift from God”. As a first name Jasmine first appeared in the West as the name of a flower in the beginning of the 1900s. At this time floral names were becoming very popular.

At this time names like Lily, Rose, and Iris were becoming more common. The plant and the name symbolize elegance and grace. The flower is particularly known  for its intoxicating fragrance.

The Popularity of Jasmine

While the name may have first appeared around 1900, it didn’t become popular enough to appear on name popularity charts until the early to mid 1970s. The rise in popularity of the name was very quick and sudden, and that has led to many different spellings of the name.

For example the name is sometime spelled without an e (Jasmin) or with a z (Jazmin). This is often done with popular names, to make them seem like they are a little different or unique. 

The name became incredibly popular in America and other English speaking countries after the 1992 Disney movie Aladdin featured the name as the Princess of the story, and the name took off. 

Popularity Around the World

Jasmine is a popular name in many countries. It is most popular in Australia, England, Wales, Canada, Sweden, New Zealand, The United States, Italy, France, and The Netherlands. 

Nicknames for Jasmine

There are many common nicknames for women named Jasmine, here are some of the most popular.

Jessamyn, Jassamayn, Jazzy, Jasminda, Jazmine, Jasmyne, Jazz, Yazz, Jazzmine, Yazzie, Yasmeen, Jazan, Jay, Jessamina, Jazzie, Min, Jazmina, Jessamine, Jazzmon, Yazzi, Jazmon, Minnie, Jazzmin, Jazzmynn, Jassi, Jasmyn, Jazmaine, Yasmia, Jazmin, Jessimine, Jazzmon,Jasmina, Jazzmyn, Mina, Yazmin, J, Yasminia, Jasmeen, and Yashmine

Jasmine in Other Countries

Yasemin is a popular variation of the name in Turkey.  In Brazil Yasmin is a popular version of the name. Jazmin is the Israeli version of the name, that same spelling is also used in Hungry. Yasmine is a popular variant in Brussels and Belgium. The spelling Jasmin is popular in both Germany and Austria.

Famous People Named Jasmine

Because the name has had it’s second wind of popularity in the mid 1990s most people with this name were born after this time.

  • Princess Jasmine-The most famous person named Jasmine is Princess Jasmine from the Disney movie Aladdin. There is a clear correlation between a renewed popularity in the name Jasmine and when the extremely popular movie was released.
  • Jasmine Guy- (1962- present) is an American actress, singer, director, and dancer. She is best known for her role as Whitley on the Cosby Show, and for playing the same character on the spinoff, It’s a Different World.
  • Jasmine Richards- (1990-present) is  a Canadian singer and actress. She played Margaret-Browning Levesque on the show Naturally. She has also played Margaret “Peggy” Dupree on the Disney Channel movie Camp Rock.
  • Jasmine Jessica Anthony- (1996- present) is an American actress. She was in the movie Catch Me If You Can, and in the TV series Commander in Chief.

Many celebrities have named their daughters Jasmine, including legendary basketball player Michael Jordan, Television star, Martin Lawrence, and Next Top Model star Nigel Barker.

Jasmine as a Surname

Before Jasmine was a first name in the West, it was a surname. Eventually the name migrated from the Middle East to France and Jasmine became  a surname of some pretty prominent families. Jasmine first became a French surname of a family in Languedoc.

This  is a very old French name that was first seen when the language was still being developed, leading to many different spellings. Some of these variations include Jasmin and Jansemin. Between 1643 and 1675 due to the fur trade migration from France to Canada exploded in French Quebec.

The Jasmine’s who helped found  lower Canada became one of the two major founding family houses of the country. They made many contributions in both France and Canada in education, culture, and religion.


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