James

Did you know?

A few things about James you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous James

James Joyce

Irish novelist and poet (1882–1941)

Choose James and your child shares a first name with James Joyce, an Irish novelist and poet. A ready-made answer when someone asks “James, like who?” James Joyce's Wikipedia article is available in 207 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about James Joyce on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: James_Joyce_by_Alex_Ehrenzweig,_1915_restored.jpg: *James_Joyce_by_Alex_Ehrenzweig,_1915.jpg: Alex Ehrenzweig derivative, Public domain (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 143 baby boys born in the US in 2025 was named James, 11,945 babies in all. In a school of 500 kids, you'd expect to meet about 2 Jamess.
• 📜HistoryJames has been in use since at least 1880, the first year US birth records were kept. That's 145 years of Jamess, and counting.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1952, when it ranked #1. Today it's #6, so it could be due a comeback.
• 📍Where it's lovedJames is most popular in Mississippi, where it ranks #1, followed by Wyoming (#2) and Alabama (#3). It makes the top 1,000 in almost every state.
• 💬MeaningIn Hebrew, James means “supplanter”. Our records link it to English and Hebrew roots.
• 🌍OriginJames is the #3 most popular English boy name in the US. That's out of 7,815 English boy and unisex names in our list.

About the name James

James is a boy name of English and Hebrew origin meaning “supplanter”. It has 5 letters and 1 syllable, starting with J and ending in “-mes”. US birth records list James for boys from 1880 to 2025, in 146 of those 146 years. Its best year was 1952, when it ranked #1 among boy names. In 2025 it ranked #6, with 11,945 babies.

Origin:English namesHebrew names