Boy nameCurrently #5 in the USSteady
James
JAYMZ//dʒeɪmz//
1 syllablePeak year: 19475 lettersStarts with J
Meaning & origin
Supplanter, one who follows
James is an English form of Jacob, from the Hebrew meaning 'supplanter' or 'one who follows', and has been carried by numerous British monarchs and two apostles in the New Testament. Its steady, timeless strength has kept it consistently popular for centuries.
James's popularity over time
| Year | Births named James |
|---|---|
| 1880 | 5,949 |
| 1881 | 5,465 |
| 1882 | 5,910 |
| 1883 | 5,248 |
| 1884 | 5,726 |
| 1885 | 5,201 |
| 1886 | 5,384 |
| 1887 | 4,787 |
| 1888 | 5,607 |
| 1889 | 5,046 |
| 1890 | 5,130 |
| 1891 | 4,547 |
| 1892 | 5,420 |
| 1893 | 5,053 |
| 1894 | 5,135 |
| 1895 | 5,369 |
| 1896 | 5,234 |
| 1897 | 5,143 |
| 1898 | 5,350 |
| 1899 | 4,624 |
| 1900 | 7,286 |
| 1901 | 4,765 |
| 1902 | 5,622 |
| 1903 | 5,507 |
| 1904 | 5,882 |
| 1905 | 6,077 |
| 1906 | 5,945 |
| 1907 | 6,752 |
| 1908 | 7,044 |
| 1909 | 7,647 |
| 1910 | 9,257 |
| 1911 | 10,021 |
| 1912 | 17,725 |
| 1913 | 20,927 |
| 1914 | 26,369 |
| 1915 | 33,928 |
| 1916 | 35,734 |
| 1917 | 37,520 |
| 1918 | 42,327 |
| 1919 | 42,584 |
| 1920 | 48,157 |
| 1921 | 49,981 |
| 1922 | 50,042 |
| 1923 | 50,743 |
| 1924 | 53,215 |
| 1925 | 53,044 |
| 1926 | 53,555 |
| 1927 | 54,065 |
| 1928 | 53,180 |
| 1929 | 52,530 |
| 1930 | 54,376 |
| 1931 | 51,558 |
| 1932 | 52,251 |
| 1933 | 51,409 |
| 1934 | 54,531 |
| 1935 | 55,240 |
| 1936 | 54,925 |
| 1937 | 56,813 |
| 1938 | 59,377 |
| 1939 | 59,904 |
| 1940 | 62,740 |
| 1941 | 67,008 |
| 1942 | 77,460 |
| 1943 | 80,547 |
| 1944 | 77,188 |
| 1945 | 74,713 |
| 1946 | 87,686 |
| 1947 | 95,020 |
| 1948 | 88,855 |
| 1949 | 87,116 |
| 1950 | 86,475 |
| 1951 | 87,513 |
| 1952 | 87,324 |
| 1953 | 86,307 |
| 1954 | 86,537 |
| 1955 | 84,427 |
| 1956 | 85,151 |
| 1957 | 84,622 |
| 1958 | 79,025 |
| 1959 | 78,938 |
| 1960 | 77,095 |
| 1961 | 76,243 |
| 1962 | 72,823 |
| 1963 | 71,602 |
| 1964 | 73,339 |
| 1965 | 67,977 |
| 1966 | 65,461 |
| 1967 | 61,998 |
| 1968 | 60,978 |
| 1969 | 60,223 |
| 1970 | 62,094 |
| 1971 | 54,905 |
| 1972 | 47,364 |
| 1973 | 43,154 |
| 1974 | 41,586 |
| 1975 | 39,828 |
| 1976 | 38,550 |
| 1977 | 40,316 |
| 1978 | 40,171 |
| 1979 | 39,612 |
| 1980 | 39,585 |
| 1981 | 38,561 |
| 1982 | 39,192 |
| 1983 | 36,626 |
| 1984 | 36,094 |
| 1985 | 36,151 |
| 1986 | 34,328 |
| 1987 | 32,906 |
| 1988 | 32,765 |
| 1989 | 32,896 |
| 1990 | 32,472 |
| 1991 | 30,608 |
| 1992 | 28,579 |
| 1993 | 26,330 |
| 1994 | 24,844 |
| 1995 | 22,793 |
| 1996 | 21,226 |
| 1997 | 20,449 |
| 1998 | 19,734 |
| 1999 | 18,595 |
| 2000 | 18,031 |
| 2001 | 17,115 |
| 2002 | 16,999 |
| 2003 | 16,929 |
| 2004 | 16,564 |
| 2005 | 16,166 |
| 2006 | 16,300 |
| 2007 | 16,006 |
| 2008 | 15,220 |
| 2009 | 14,272 |
| 2010 | 13,928 |
| 2011 | 13,302 |
| 2012 | 13,484 |
| 2013 | 13,623 |
| 2014 | 14,504 |
| 2015 | 14,900 |
| 2016 | 14,983 |
| 2017 | 14,434 |
| 2018 | 13,687 |
| 2019 | 13,261 |
| 2020 | 12,447 |
| 2021 | 12,532 |
| 2022 | 12,194 |
| 2023 | 11,806 |
| 2024 | 11,861 |
James through the decades
- James peaked in 1947, when 95,020 babies were named James in the US.
- The 1950s were James's strongest decade, averaging 84,632 births a year.
- Over the last 10 years of data (2015–2024), use of James has fallen 10% compared to the 10 years before that.
- James currently ranks #5 in the US and is holding steady.
Nicknames
JimJamie
Variants & spellings
JaimeDiego
Famous people named James
- James Madison — US president