Name histories / James
James: U.S. name history
Published Social Security birth-name counts for the exact spelling James in the male recorded field, 1880–2025.
In the latest file, James was at position 6 among published male-field spellings, with 11,945 recorded births. That is up 89 from 11,856 in 2024. Its first released row in this archive is from 1880; a missing earlier row does not establish when the name began to exist.
What the historical pattern shows
James is unusual in this selection because it was near the top in every major period shown here: third in 1880, first in 1950, fourth in 1975, and sixth in 2025. Its position shifted less dramatically than many modern favorites.
Its largest annual count was in 1947, far above its 2025 count. The older count should not be read as a direct population-adjusted comparison; it is the raw number of published records with this spelling in that year.
Selected annual records
| Birth year | Published count | Position* |
|---|---|---|
| 1880 | 5,927 | 3 |
| 1900 | 7,245 | 3 |
| 1925 | 52,680 | 4 |
| 1947 | 94,767 | 1 |
| 1950 | 86,228 | 1 |
| 1975 | 39,569 | 4 |
| 1990 | 32,359 | 8 |
| 2000 | 17,991 | 18 |
| 2010 | 13,901 | 19 |
| 2015 | 14,865 | 7 |
| 2020 | 12,390 | 6 |
| 2024 | 11,856 | 5 |
| 2025 | 11,945 | 6 |
*Position is calculated from the published entries in one year and field, ordered by count; it is not an official SSA rank. Counts are not adjusted for population or coverage. SSA suppresses small cells, so no row does not mean zero births.
Keep exploring
Compare William · Henry; inspect any spelling in the annual popularity tool; or see the 2025 overview.
Sources: SSA national data and suppression rules · our data method. Data reviewed 1 November 2026.