Boys' name · peaked in 1944
James name popularity since 1925
4,578,137 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named James. Half of them were born in 1957 or earlier, so the typical James is about 69 years old in 2026. James peaked in 1944 as the #1 name for boys, and it ranked #6 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 4,578,137
- Named James, 1925–2025
- In 2025
- #6
- for boys in 2025 (11,945 babies)
- Girls / boys
- 99.6% boys
- 20,381 girls · 4,557,756 boys
- Most popular in
- Mississippi
- 1.76× its national share
Peak year is the year James made up the largest share of US boys, in records going back to 1880. Typical age is based on births from 1925 on, not on who is living today.
James births per year, 1925–2025
The biggest year by count was 1947. Measured as a share of all babies, James peaked in 1944.
Decade by decade
Babies named James in each decade, and its rank among boys' names in the middle year of the decade (1935, 1945 … 2025).
| Decade | Girls | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925–29 | 1,937 | 264,437 | – |
| 1930s | 2,906 | 547,479 | #2 |
| 1940s | 2,566 | 795,775 | #1 |
| 1950s | 2,543 | 843,768 | #3 |
| 1960s | 3,016 | 684,722 | #4 |
| 1970s | 2,830 | 444,713 | #4 |
| 1980s | 2,606 | 356,491 | #7 |
| 1990s | 668 | 244,980 | #17 |
| 2000s | 430 | 163,179 | #17 |
| 2010s | 454 | 139,689 | #7 |
| 2020–25 | 425 | 72,523 | #6 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 boys that year, so they can go past 1,000.
Generation fingerprint
34.4% of babies named James from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Baby Boom years (1946–1964). The full split by generation:
Where James is most popular
The index compares James's share of babies in each state with its share nationwide, 1925–2025 (1.50× = 50% more common). States with at least 300 babies named James.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| Mississippi | 1.76× | 98,834 |
| Alabama | 1.66× | 135,596 |
| South Carolina | 1.66× | 107,781 |
| West Virginia | 1.63× | 66,254 |
| Kentucky | 1.61× | 124,797 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 499 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to James's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is James.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of James (1944).
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration national and state baby-name data, which covers names given to at least 5 babies of one sex in a year. About the data