FastNamesJames
Hebrew and English name meaning "English derivative of Late Latin Iacomus, ultimately from Hebrew Ya'akov (Jacob), traditionally interpreted as 'supplanter' or 'one who follows at the heel'.". Ranked 6th for boys in 2025.
Meaning and origin of James
English derivative of Late Latin Iacomus, ultimately from Hebrew Ya'akov (Jacob), traditionally interpreted as 'supplanter' or 'one who follows at the heel'.
Linguistically, James is classified under Hebrew and English naming traditions. It is typically pronounced "JAYMZ".
Popularity and ranking
In official US Social Security birth records from 1880 through 2025, James has been given to a total of 5,250,638 boys. It has also been given to 23,882 girls.
Peak year: James reached its highest relative share among boys in 1944, when 76,951 babies received the name (56,462 per million births).
All-time best rank: 1st place, first achieved in 1940.
Recent standing (2025): Ranked 6th with 11,945 births. Ten years earlier in 2015, it ranked 7th (up 1 spots).
Busiest decade: More boys were named James in the 1950s than in any other decade (843,768 births).
| Decade | Recorded births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 54,055 |
| 1890s | 50,723 |
| 1900s | 62,170 |
| 1910s | 275,070 |
| 1920s | 515,301 |
| 1930s | 547,479 |
| 1940s | 795,775 |
| 1950s | 843,768 |
| 1960s | 684,722 |
| 1970s | 444,713 |
| 1980s | 356,491 |
| 1990s | 244,980 |
| 2000s | 163,179 |
| 2010s | 139,689 |
| 2020s | 72,523 |
Source: Social Security Administration, national baby name data, data through 2025. Names given to fewer than five babies of one sex in a year aren't published, so totals are a little lower than actual births.
Where James is most common in the US
Accounting for when James was in fashion nationally, it has been most heavily concentrated in the following states (measured against the expected rate from each state's births):
- South Carolina: 1.6 times the national rate (129,430 births since 1910).
- Tennessee: 1.6 times the national rate (175,232 births since 1910).
- Alabama: 1.5 times the national rate (160,037 births since 1910).
- Mississippi: 1.5 times the national rate (115,744 births since 1910).
- Kentucky: 1.5 times the national rate (145,857 births since 1910).
Source: Social Security Administration, baby names by state, data through 2025. Names given to fewer than five babies of one sex in a state in a year aren't published, so totals are a little lower than actual births.
How many people have the name James?
About 2,956,000 living American boys and men share the name James. Additionally, an estimated 14,000 living American girls and women share the name.
The median age of an American named James is 59 years old.
Estimated from Social Security Administration records (1880–2025) and official SSA cohort mortality tables.
History of the name James
James evolved as a vernacular Old French modification of the Late Latin Iacomus, which arose alongside the biblical form Iacobus (the ancestor of Jacob). In the Christian New Testament, the name was borne by two key apostles: Saint James the Greater (revered as the patron saint of Spain) and Saint James the Lesser, cementing its status across medieval Christendom.
The name achieved monumental political stature in the British Isles through the Scottish royal House of Stewart, which produced six successive kings named James between 1406 and 1567. When James VI of Scotland acceded to the English throne as James I in 1603, the name became universal throughout Britain, celebrated notably in the landmark 1611 King James Bible.
In American history, James has demonstrated unmatched endurance: six US presidents bore the name, and it has never dropped below the national top twenty in any year since Social Security tracking began in 1880. It held the undisputed number one ranking for newborn boys from 1940 through 1952, and stands as the single most frequently bestowed male given name in cumulative American records with over 5.2 million births.
Notable people named James
- James Madison (1751–1836), 4th U.S. President
- James Baldwin (1924–1987), Writer and essayist
- James Joyce (1882–1941), Novelist and poet
- James Dean (1931–1955), Actor
- James Cameron (1954–), Filmmaker
Variants and related names
Spelling variants
Diminutives and nicknames
Related names
Sources and references
- Patrick Hanks, Kate Hardcastle, Flavia Hodges. A Dictionary of First Names (2006), p. 137.
- E. G. Withycombe. The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names (1977), p. 170.
- Douglas Harper. Online Etymology Dictionary. Reference link.