Popularity of the name James, 1880–2025
James was at its most popular in 1944, when 76,951 boys were given the name: about 1 in 18 boys born in the U.S. that year, ranking #1. In 2025, 11,945 boys were named James, ranking #6. In all, Social Security counts 5,250,638 boys named James since 1880. Social Security’s records also list 23,882 girls named James.
- Peak year
- 1944
- Rank in 1944
- #1
- Babies in 1944
- 76,951
- Rank in 2025
- #6
- Total since 1880
- 5,250,638
Where it stands now
Over the last ten years it has climbed from #7 in 2015 to #6 in 2025, with 14,865 boys named James in 2015 and 11,945 in 2025.
Decade by decade
James ranked highest in the 1940s, at #1, with 795,775 boys given the name that decade. It ranked #3 in the 1880s and #4 in the 2020s so far.
Every 20 years in the records: 5,927 in 1880 (#3), 7,245 in 1900 (#3), 47,908 in 1920 (#4), 62,481 in 1940 (#1), 76,815 in 1960 (#3), 39,312 in 1980 (#5), 17,991 in 2000 (#18) and 12,390 in 2020 (#6).
Highs and lows
The most boys given the name in a single year was 94,767, in 1947. That is not its peak year: Social Security’s records hold more boys for 1947 than for 1944, so the name’s share of births was smaller. Its best rank in any year was #1, first reached in 1940.
Every year
The table lists every year from 1880 to 2025 in which Social Security recorded at least 5 boys named James, with the name’s rank that year.
| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880 | 5,927 | #3 |
| 1881 | 5,441 | #3 |
| 1882 | 5,892 | #3 |
| 1883 | 5,223 | #3 |
| 1884 | 5,693 | #3 |
| 1885 | 5,175 | #3 |
| 1886 | 5,355 | #3 |
| 1887 | 4,767 | #3 |
| 1888 | 5,562 | #3 |
| 1889 | 5,020 | #3 |
| 1890 | 5,097 | #3 |
| 1891 | 4,516 | #3 |
| 1892 | 5,398 | #3 |
| 1893 | 5,030 | #3 |
| 1894 | 5,110 | #3 |
| 1895 | 5,335 | #3 |
| 1896 | 5,206 | #3 |
| 1897 | 5,113 | #3 |
| 1898 | 5,321 | #3 |
| 1899 | 4,597 | #3 |
| 1900 | 7,245 | #3 |
| 1901 | 4,735 | #3 |
| 1902 | 5,592 | #3 |
| 1903 | 5,479 | #3 |
| 1904 | 5,855 | #3 |
| 1905 | 6,042 | #3 |
| 1906 | 5,908 | #3 |
| 1907 | 6,707 | #3 |
| 1908 | 7,012 | #3 |
| 1909 | 7,595 | #3 |
| 1910 | 9,194 | #2 |
| 1911 | 9,952 | #3 |
| 1912 | 17,644 | #3 |
| 1913 | 20,832 | #3 |
| 1914 | 26,262 | #3 |
| 1915 | 33,773 | #3 |
| 1916 | 35,569 | #3 |
| 1917 | 37,337 | #3 |
| 1918 | 42,115 | #3 |
| 1919 | 42,392 | #3 |
| 1920 | 47,908 | #4 |
| 1921 | 49,750 | #4 |
| 1922 | 49,802 | #4 |
| 1923 | 50,462 | #4 |
| 1924 | 52,942 | #4 |
| 1925 | 52,680 | #4 |
| 1926 | 53,196 | #3 |
| 1927 | 53,674 | #3 |
| 1928 | 52,752 | #3 |
| 1929 | 52,135 | #2 |
| 1930 | 53,957 | #2 |
| 1931 | 51,212 | #2 |
| 1932 | 51,930 | #2 |
| 1933 | 51,112 | #2 |
| 1934 | 54,270 | #2 |
| 1935 | 55,005 | #2 |
| 1936 | 54,694 | #2 |
| 1937 | 56,561 | #2 |
| 1938 | 59,102 | #2 |
| 1939 | 59,636 | #2 |
| 1940 | 62,481 | #1 |
| 1941 | 66,751 | #1 |
| 1942 | 77,182 | #1 |
| 1943 | 80,278 | #1 |
| 1944 | 76,951 | #1 |
| 1945 | 74,464 | #1 |
| 1946 | 87,438 | #1 |
| 1947 | 94,767 | #1 |
| 1948 | 88,605 | #1 |
| 1949 | 86,858 | #1 |
| 1950 | 86,228 | #1 |
| 1951 | 87,256 | #1 |
| 1952 | 87,065 | #1 |
| 1953 | 86,066 | #2 |
| 1954 | 86,311 | #3 |
| 1955 | 84,186 | #3 |
| 1956 | 84,897 | #2 |
| 1957 | 84,337 | #2 |
| 1958 | 78,774 | #3 |
| 1959 | 78,648 | #3 |
| 1960 | 76,815 | #3 |
| 1961 | 75,969 | #4 |
| 1962 | 72,555 | #4 |
| 1963 | 71,294 | #4 |
| 1964 | 73,026 | #4 |
| 1965 | 67,666 | #4 |
| 1966 | 65,163 | #3 |
| 1967 | 61,683 | #3 |
| 1968 | 60,665 | #4 |
| 1969 | 59,886 | #3 |
| 1970 | 61,735 | #2 |
| 1971 | 54,597 | #2 |
| 1972 | 47,063 | #3 |
| 1973 | 42,836 | #4 |
| 1974 | 41,334 | #5 |
| 1975 | 39,569 | #4 |
| 1976 | 38,294 | #5 |
| 1977 | 40,040 | #5 |
| 1978 | 39,894 | #5 |
| 1979 | 39,351 | #5 |
| 1980 | 39,312 | #5 |
| 1981 | 38,283 | #7 |
| 1982 | 38,874 | #6 |
| 1983 | 36,342 | #6 |
| 1984 | 35,859 | #7 |
| 1985 | 35,862 | #7 |
| 1986 | 34,057 | #7 |
| 1987 | 32,659 | #8 |
| 1988 | 32,523 | #9 |
| 1989 | 32,720 | #9 |
| 1990 | 32,359 | #8 |
| 1991 | 30,514 | #7 |
| 1992 | 28,513 | #9 |
| 1993 | 26,259 | #14 |
| 1994 | 24,778 | #14 |
| 1995 | 22,739 | #17 |
| 1996 | 21,165 | #17 |
| 1997 | 20,408 | #17 |
| 1998 | 19,690 | #18 |
| 1999 | 18,555 | #19 |
| 2000 | 17,991 | #18 |
| 2001 | 17,074 | #19 |
| 2002 | 16,968 | #18 |
| 2003 | 16,896 | #18 |
| 2004 | 16,469 | #18 |
| 2005 | 16,140 | #17 |
| 2006 | 16,255 | #16 |
| 2007 | 15,973 | #15 |
| 2008 | 15,190 | #17 |
| 2009 | 14,223 | #18 |
| 2010 | 13,901 | #19 |
| 2011 | 13,275 | #17 |
| 2012 | 13,458 | #14 |
| 2013 | 13,596 | #13 |
| 2014 | 14,464 | #9 |
| 2015 | 14,865 | #7 |
| 2016 | 14,920 | #5 |
| 2017 | 14,362 | #4 |
| 2018 | 13,650 | #4 |
| 2019 | 13,198 | #6 |
| 2020 | 12,390 | #6 |
| 2021 | 12,474 | #5 |
| 2022 | 12,119 | #4 |
| 2023 | 11,739 | #4 |
| 2024 | 11,856 | #5 |
| 2025 | 11,945 | #6 |
How these numbers are counted
Social Security publishes, for every year since 1880, how many babies of each sex were given each name, counting any name given to at least 5. A name’s rank is its place that year among names for the same sex, by number of babies. Names with the same count share a rank here, while Social Security’s own lists break ties alphabetically, so a rank can differ from theirs by a place or two. A name’s share is the number of babies given it divided by all babies of that sex in the data that year, and its peak is the year that share was highest. Shares rather than counts set the peak, because far more babies were born in some years than others: counting babies alone would pull nearly every name’s peak toward the 1946–1964 baby boom.
Source: the U.S. Social Security Administration’s national baby name data, from Social Security card applications for babies born in the U.S. A name is left out of a year when fewer than 5 babies of one sex got it, and counts before about 1937 are incomplete, because many people born then never applied for a card. See how Baby Boom builds its data. Figures may contain errors.