James
Latin Iacomus, a late variant of Iacobus, itself the Hebrew Ya‘aqov (Jacob).
Popularity, 1880–2025
An apostle's name and the name of English kings; the quintessential American classic, and the most common name of the baby boom's fathers.
James appears in the national records from the very first year, 1880. It has ranked among the top 100 names for American boys in every year from 1880 to 2025. It has been the single most popular name for American boys in 13 different years, first in 1940 and most recently in 1952. Its biggest year was 1947, when 94,767 newborn boys received the name, ranking it No. 1 nationally. In 2025 it ranked No. 6 for boys. All told, 5,274,520 Americans have been given the name since 1880.
Related names
Other spellings on record: Jaymes (2,567), Jamese (775), Jamez (647) (total births since 1880)
Other names that share a story: Jacob, Jacqueline, Jamie, Jimmy, Jim, Jimmie, Diego, Jaime
Explore James interactively →By the decade
| Decade | Births | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 54,055 | No. 3 |
| 1890s | 50,723 | No. 3 |
| 1900s | 62,170 | No. 3 |
| 1910s | 275,070 | No. 2 |
| 1920s | 515,301 | No. 2 |
| 1930s | 547,479 | No. 2 |
| 1940s | 795,775 | No. 1 |
| 1950s | 843,768 | No. 1 |
| 1960s | 684,722 | No. 3 |
| 1970s | 444,713 | No. 2 |
| 1980s | 356,491 | No. 5 |
| 1990s | 244,980 | No. 7 |
| 2000s | 163,179 | No. 15 |
| 2010s | 139,689 | No. 4 |
| 2020s | 72,523 | No. 4 |
Births and rank shown for boys, the sex more often given the name. The Social Security Administration omits name–year combinations with fewer than five births.
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Data: U.S. Social Security Administration national baby-name file, 1880–2025.