James
Feminine · “supplanter”
James is given to boys far more often — 5,250,638 boys against 23,882 girls since 1880. See James as a boy name
James for a daughter is rare but real in the record, and the name behind it is one of the oldest in the book — Jacob, the heel-grabber, twin brother of Esau.
How old is the name James?
James was already in use when US birth records began in 1880 — it is at least 145 years old. The typical James alive today was born around 1954, making them about 71 years old. About 14,500 people named James are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name James most popular?
James peaked in 1928, reaching #319 nationally. Today it ranks #2859, 2,540 places below that high. See the whole 1928 chart.
James appears on this list:
Where it comes from
From Yaakov to James
The story of James
James was the name of two apostles and of six Scottish kings, and it has never left the top ranks of English naming. Its feminine use in American records is a family practice rather than a fashion: a daughter given a father's or grandfather's name outright. It appears steadily in the registers and rose again in the 2010s after a widely reported celebrity naming.
Meaning
supplanter, heel-holder
Through Jacob, from the Hebrew Yaakov, connected in Genesis to aqev, 'heel' — the twin who was born holding his brother's heel, and who later took his birthright. Latin turned Iacobus into Iacomus, which gave the French Jacques and the English James.
How the name formed
- Yaakov
- Iacomus
- James
Related forms: Jamie · Jaime · Jacqueline
Pronouncing James
JAYMZ
One syllable. Said identically whichever sex carries it.
Nicknames for James
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1880
- Most girls named
- 1930419 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #319reached in 1928
- Change vs 2022
- −30.6%59 in 2025, from 85
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
James in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Jamie in English — related form
- Jaime in Spanish — related form
- Jacqueline in French — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, Texas, New York.
Jamess among us
people named James are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 27,242 born in 2025 was named James
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Jannie test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. James's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Jannie climbed just as high around 1910, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Jannie's path sketches the road James is walking now.
James sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where James is headed
James should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
Medium confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
James beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to James in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- The Jacob story behind it is one of the most vivid in Genesis.
- Jamie is available as a fully unisex short form.
- Two apostles and six Scottish kings carry the name.
- In English the name reads as unambiguously masculine.
- Jacqueline and Jamie are the established feminine forms.
- The feminine use is very recent as a deliberate trend.
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What they receive
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James
Feminine · #2859 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Jamess are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 14,500 people named James are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name James in 2025?
- James ranks #2859 among US girl names in 2025, with 59 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name James?
- About 1 in every 27,242 US girls born in 2025 was named James — 59 in all.
- Will my child share the name James with classmates?
- James will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside James
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Emilly#2859 · Pyper#2859 · Amarie#2859 · Luci#2859 · Issa#2859 · Azaliah#2859 · Malinda#2859 · Kyah#2859
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles James? See the current top 100.
Choosing between James and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
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Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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