James

Primarily a boy's name · 100% boys

Meaning

James is an English language given name that is a derivative of the name Jacob, most commonly used for males.

From Wikipedia

James first appears in the data in 1952 and has been recorded in 74 different years as a boy's name. Its single biggest year was 2016 with 2,281 babies (rank #10 that year). In 2025 it was given to 605 boys (rank #19). The name has been declining over the last five years.

Numerology of James

In Pythagorean numerology, every letter has a value from 1 to 9. Adding the letters of James yields these three numbers — a playful read on the name's character.

3Destiny numberThe creativeExpressive, sociable, lifted by playful energy.Sum of every letter. The overall character a name carries.
6Soul urgeThe carerNurturing, responsible, family at the centre.Sum of the vowels — what's said to drive the heart.
6PersonalityThe carerNurturing, responsible, family at the centre.Sum of the consonants — the outer impression.

70,285

Total babies (all years)

Years in the data

2,281

Peak in a single year

Popularity Over Time — Boys

Also a character in

In Sherlock Holmes: Professor James Moriarty — the criminal mastermind
In The Roald Dahl Universe: James — of James and the Giant Peach
In Pokémon: James — Team Rocket

Famous people named James

James Joyceprose writer · b. 1882
James Cookseafarer · b. 1728
James Madisonplantation owner · b. 1751
James Clerk Maxwelltheoretical physicist · b. 1831
James Watttechnician · b. 1736

More popular boys' names

Names ranked near James in 2025

Other boys' names starting with J

Year-by-Year Detail

Rank is among all boys' names registered that year.

Year	Babies	Rank
1952	511	#21
1953	546	#18
1954	500	#20
1955	441	#24
1956	498	#20
1957	479	#19
1958	427	#21
1959	445	#18
1960	735	#15
1961	691	#19
1962	639	#21
1963	696	#19
1964	742	#18
1965	790	#16
1966	683	#19
1967	771	#17
1968	697	#20
1969	821	#19
1970	826	#19
1971	851	#20
1972	836	#22
1973	805	#20
1974	749	#22
1975	723	#20
1976	670	#23
1977	777	#18
1978	794	#18
1979	927	#15
1980	1,023	#12
1981	1,064	#13
1982	1,216	#10
1983	1,209	#10
1984	1,249	#10
1985	1,362	#8
1986	1,410	#7
1987	1,325	#7
1988	1,446	#7
1989	1,476	#7
1990	1,566	#6
1991	1,573	#4
1992	1,675	#4
1993	1,479	#4
1994	1,378	#4
1995	1,335	#4
1996	1,330	#4
1997	1,221	#5
1998	1,125	#7
1999	1,137	#6
2000	1,075	#7
2001	983	#6
2002	894	#11
2003	941	#8
2004	867	#9
2005	881	#8
2006	641	#6
2007	532	#8
2008	997	#6
2009	884	#9
2010	860	#9
2011	861	#9
2012	879	#8
2013	886	#5
2014	928	#5
2015	2,233	#9
2016	2,281	#10
2017	1,045	#6
2018	948	#9
2019	1,206	#10
2020	860	#16
2021	611	#15
2022	549	#16
2023	540	#14
2024	628	#17
2025	605	#19