Head to head · Boys' names
Gregory vs Jamir
#593 vs #592 in 2025
Jamir is a whisker ahead (#592 vs #593 in 2025), but the curves point different ways: Jamir is holding its place on the charts, Gregory is stepping back from its peak.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
The tale of the tape
The tape is even: Gregory and Jamir each lead 3 measures of 6.
Ranks, counts and years are measured in the official US birth record; the classroom and living figures are estimates computed from it. The dot marks the side each measure favours on the charts — more common, not better.
What the records say
146 years of US births, drawn on one scale
Two curves, one scale
Who owned which decade
- 1880s: Gregory #895, Jamir — — Gregory higher
- 1890s: Gregory #680, Jamir — — Gregory higher
- 1900s: Gregory #604, Jamir — — Gregory higher
- 1910s: Gregory #479, Jamir — — Gregory higher
- 1920s: Gregory #405, Jamir — — Gregory higher
- 1930s: Gregory #288, Jamir — — Gregory higher
- 1940s: Gregory #110, Jamir — — Gregory higher
- 1950s: Gregory #24, Jamir — — Gregory higher
- 1960s: Gregory #23, Jamir — — Gregory higher
- 1970s: Gregory #32, Jamir #4300 — Gregory higher
- 1980s: Gregory #45, Jamir #4101 — Gregory higher
- 1990s: Gregory #82, Jamir #1739 — Gregory higher
- 2000s: Gregory #196, Jamir #874 — Gregory higher
- 2010s: Gregory #332, Jamir #732 — Gregory higher
- 2020s: Gregory #513, Jamir #572 — Gregory higher
Gregory stood higher in every recorded decade — 15 of 15.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Gregory | Jamir |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | #895 | — |
| 1890s | #680 | — |
| 1900s | #604 | — |
| 1910s | #479 | — |
| 1920s | #405 | — |
| 1930s | #288 | — |
| 1940s | #110 | — |
| 1950s | #24 | — |
| 1960s | #23 | — |
| 1970s | #32 | #4300 |
| 1980s | #45 | #4101 |
| 1990s | #82 | #1739 |
| 2000s | #196 | #874 |
| 2010s | #332 | #732 |
| 2020s | #513 | #572 |
Average national rank across each decade. A dash means the name sat outside the recorded top of that decade.
The names themselves
Meaning, roots, sound and the people who carried each
Where each name comes from
Gregory
watchful
The Greek verb means to be awake or alert, and the name was a Christian one from the start — a instruction rather than a description, taken from the injunction to stay awake.
Gregorios → Gregorius → Gregory
How it traveled
Gregory the Great sent Augustine and a party of monks to England at the end of the sixth century, gave them detailed and unusually practical instructions about not destroying the local temples but reusing them, and corresponded with them at length afterwards. The mission worked.
Jamir
Not established
No settled meaning has been documented for Jamir itself. What is documented is the company it keeps: the Arabic name Jamil, meaning "beautiful", and Amir, meaning "prince" or "commander", both long established and both very close to Jamir in sound. Jamir is also a surname among the Ao Naga people of Nagaland, in northeast India, with no known connection to the American given name.
How it traveled
Jamir appears in American birth records in the later twentieth century, arriving alongside a broader group of names built from Arabic elements — Jamal, Jamil, Amir, Jabari — that came into wide use in Black American naming during that period. Whether it began as a variant of Jamil, a reshaping of Amir, or simply a name assembled for its sound, no source establishes.
Where a reading is contested the note says so — this page does not turn a guess into a fact. The chain is each name's recorded forms, oldest first; the story is its opening, told in full on the name's own page.
Out loud, and in short
Gregory
GREG-ur-ee
Three syllables with the weight at the front. Italian and Spanish give it four with the stress on the third.
- Greg — The standard short form; used in speech far more than the full name.
- Gregg — The doubled spelling of the same short form; a standing name of its own.
- Grisha — The Russian everyday form, used in Russian-speaking families.
Jamir
juh-MEER
Stress falls on the second syllable, rhyming with Amir. A minority of American families say JAY-mir, so it is worth deciding early which one you will correct people to.
- Jay — The most common informal short form, and a standalone given name in its own right.
- Jam — Family and playground use rather than anything written down.
- Mir — Uses the stressed second syllable; less common, and also a name on its own in several languages.
- JJ — Initial nickname, usually when a middle name also begins with J.
Is it right for you
The differences that decide it, laid out by what you want
Choose by what you want
Choose Gregory if you want…
- a name past its most crowded yearsGregory is stepping back from its peak
- a name with more sound in itGregory runs 3 syllables, Jamir 2
- a long American recordGregory was already in use when US records began in 1880
Choose Jamir if you want…
- a name on the way upup 67 places on the charts in five years
- a name with fewer syllablesJamir is 2 syllables to Gregory's 3
- a newer arrivalJamir entered the US charts in 1972
Each line is a measured difference between the two names — a rank, a count, a recorded form — never a judgement of either. Save the one that answers your question; it lands on your shortlist.
The trade-offs, name by name
Gregory
Strengths
- It has a form in every European language, eastern and western alike.
- Greg is one of the most established short forms in English.
- The meaning is short, positive and easy to explain.
To consider
- It is strongly associated with the middle of the twentieth century in America.
- Gregory and Gregorio will both be offered in bilingual settings.
- The spelling is recorded for a small number of girls, though it reads overwhelmingly as a boy's name.
Jamir
Strengths
- Spells the way it sounds in English — most people get it right on the first try after hearing it once.
- Two clear syllables that sit easily beside long or short surnames.
- A child named Jamir will very likely be the only one in the class, without the name being unfamiliar to anyone.
To consider
- Two pronunciations circulate, juh-MEER and JAY-mir. Neither is wrong, but you will be the one setting the record straight at doctors' offices and roll calls.
- It sits close to Jameer, Jamil, Jamari and Amir, so expect the occasional misspelling and the occasional mix-up in a group of kids.
- No meaning has been established, which some relatives will ask about. What you can honestly say is where it sits in sound — and that is a truer answer than most name books give.
Documented properties of each name — how it spells, travels and shortens — not opinions about the child.
With your last name
Say both in full. The notes are facts about letters and sound — a rhyme, a shared initial, the monogram — not a verdict on either name.
Type a last name to hear Gregory and Jamir in full.
Weighing the whole shortlist? Run the full comparison — up to eight names with your last name, initials, classroom projections and a printable report.
Decide together
Nobody names a baby alone
Still torn between Gregory and Jamir?
Put both to the vote.
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More head-to-heads
Same measures, different pair. Sixty more are dealt daily in the arena.
Lists these names appear on
- Classics hiding in plain sight
- Midcentury modern: tomorrow's comeback bets
- Baby Boomer names (born 1946–1964)
- Generation X names (born 1965–1980)
- all guides
Where Gregory and Jamir each sit in the library — alternatives in the same style, ranked by the same records.
Gregory or Jamir — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Gregory or Jamir?
- Jamir, in 2025: Jamir ranked #592 with 495 babies; Gregory ranked #593 with 493 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Gregory or Jamir?
- Jamir. Over the last five years Gregory moved down 159 places; Jamir moved up 67 places.
- Which is the older name, Gregory or Jamir?
- Gregory was already in use when US records began in 1880; Jamir entered the US charts in 1972. On the American record, Gregory is the older name.
- How many people are named Gregory and Jamir?
- About 586,000 people named Gregory are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 9,200 people named Jamir are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Gregorys or Jamirs in the classroom?
- Gregory will almost certainly be the only one in school. Jamir will almost certainly be the only one in school.
US figures from the Social Security Administration, 1880–2025. Votes are battle voters on this site, not the birth record. Data & methodology
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