ninan.org

James

Boys' name · Mid-century perennial

Living in the US
~3,036,500 survival-weighted estimate
2025 rank
#6 among boys
Births in 2025
12,004 5,274,520 since 1880
Typical age
59 years, median

James popularity over time

James rank by birth year, 1880–2025James ranked #3 in 1880 and #6 in 2025. Its best rank in the period was #1, in 1940.#1#10#6best #1 in 194018901920195019802010
Rank among US baby names by birth year, 1880–2025. Lower is more popular; the scale is logarithmic so the top of the chart is not compressed.

1947 is the peak year for James, with 95,024 births. It is present from 1880, the first year of the record. Across the record, 146 years put James in the top 100.

The 2025 position is #6, on 12,004 births. The ten-year change is -19%.

Babies named James per yearPeaks at 95,024 births in 1947.95,024 in 1947018901920195019802010
Recorded US births by year. The peak is labelled; the axis starts at zero.

How many people are named James?

An estimated 3,036,500 living Americans are called James. SSA has recorded 5,274,520 births under the name since 1880.

This is a survival-weighted estimate, not a headcount: every recorded birth year is multiplied by the chance someone born that year is still alive, using the SSA period life table. How the estimate works.

How old is the average James?

Median age among living Jamess: 59. More of them were born in the 1950s than in any other decade. By the site’s era rules that makes James a mid-century perennial name.

Your James

Ages of living people named JamesHalf of living Jamess are older than 59 and half younger.median 59020406080100
Estimated living bearers by age today. Each bar is a birth year, weighted by the chance someone born then is still alive.

Where James is most common

The name is concentrated in District of Columbia, at 2.6× the national rate. Wyoming, Alaska and Montana follow.

Where James is used more than average5 states use the name James more than the national average.Alaska: 2.2× the national rateAKMaine: not over-representedMEVermont: not over-representedVTNew Hampshire: not over-representedNHWashington: not over-representedWAIdaho: not over-representedIDMontana: 2.1× the national rateMTNorth Dakota: not over-representedNDMinnesota: not over-representedMNIllinois: not over-representedILWisconsin: not over-representedWIMichigan: not over-representedMINew York: not over-representedNYOregon: not over-representedORNevada: not over-representedNVWyoming: 2.3× the national rateWYSouth Dakota: not over-representedSDIowa: not over-representedIAIndiana: not over-representedINOhio: not over-representedOHPennsylvania: not over-representedPANew Jersey: not over-representedNJConnecticut: not over-representedCTRhode Island: not over-representedRICalifornia: not over-representedCAUtah: not over-representedUTColorado: not over-representedCONebraska: not over-representedNEMissouri: not over-representedMOKentucky: not over-representedKYWest Virginia: not over-representedWVVirginia: not over-representedVAMaryland: not over-representedMDDelaware: not over-representedDEMassachusetts: not over-representedMAArizona: not over-representedAZNew Mexico: not over-representedNMKansas: not over-representedKSArkansas: not over-representedARTennessee: not over-representedTNNorth Carolina: not over-representedNCSouth Carolina: not over-representedSCDistrict of Columbia: 2.6× the national rateDCOklahoma: not over-representedOKLouisiana: not over-representedLAMississippi: 2.0× the national rateMSAlabama: not over-representedALGeorgia: not over-representedGAHawaii: not over-representedHITexas: not over-representedTXFlorida: not over-representedFL
Same as national3× or more
Location quotient, 2016–2025. Shaded states use the name more than the country does, relative to their own births. Exact figures are in the table below.
States where James is over-represented, 2016–2025. The location quotient compares the state's share of the name with the national share.
StateBirthsvs national rate
District of Columbia 622 2.6×
Wyoming 197 2.3×
Alaska 378 2.2×
Montana 480 2.1×
Mississippi 1,698 2.0×

James in England and Wales

ONS recorded 1,211 births named James in 2025, ranking it #42. That is 39% lower than five years earlier.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Counts below three are suppressed by ONS.

Where the name James comes from

The English New Testament form of Jacob, from Middle English James, from Old French James, from Vulgar Latin Iācōmus, spoken and altered pronunciation of Latin Iācōbus, from Ancient Greek Ἰάκωβος, from Ἰακώβ, from Biblical Hebrew יַעֲקֹב, from the third-person singular masculine imperfective form of the Semitic verb "to heel" (with various meanings), in turn from עָקֵב (“heel of the foot”). Doublet of Jacques, Jacob, Iago, Jago, Yago, Hamish, Seamus, Tiago, Santiago, Yaakov.

Etymology summarised from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0. Wiktionary entry.

Notable people named James

Ordered by how many Wikipedia language editions have an article about them — a measure of reach, not of importance.
NameKnown forYearsEditions
James Joyce Irish novelist and poet 1882–1941 205
James Cook British explorer, cartographer and naval officer 1728–1779 186
James Madison President of the United States from 1809 to 1817 1751–1836 176
James Clerk Maxwell Scottish physicist 1831–1879 161
James Watt British engineer 1736–1819 159
James Monroe president of the United States from 1817 to 1825 1758–1831 158
James A. Garfield president of the United States in 1881 1831–1881 147
James Buchanan president of the United States from 1857 to 1861 1791–1868 144
Photo credits (8)

The sharpest rise. Births under this name jumped from 10,021 in 1911 to 17,725 in 1912 — 1.8 times over in a single year.

Birth records contain the rise and nothing about its cause. This site does not supply one.

People and dates from Wikidata (CC0), limited to those with an English Wikipedia article who are known by this name as their first name.

Related pages

Get this data

Every number on this page is available as JSON: /api/name/james.json. Free to use with attribution (CC BY 4.0).