James is a boy name with a classic feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what James means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named James across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular James has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
James is a boy name of Hebrew origin meaning “supplanter”. an English form of Jacob, via Latin Iacomus.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 5,274,520 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 141,323 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 35,631 births |
| Northern Ireland since 1997 | 7,126 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 51,701 births |
| New Zealand top 100, since 1954 | 28,251 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named James per year, United States (1880 to 2025). United States peaked in 1947 (95,024/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 1997 (9,853/yr) · Ireland peaked in 1964 (1,554/yr) · Scotland peaked in 1974 (1,202/yr) · Northern Ireland peaked in 1997 (352/yr).
James has been one of the most popular baby names in the United States. It was most common in 1947, when it ranked #2 nationally (given to 95,024 babies that year), and a popular choice in the 1940s.
Jaymes · Jamecia · Jamesia · Jomes · Jamese · Jameis · Jamas · Jamesa
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