James vs Jennifer

Side-by-side comparison of James and Jennifer — popularity rank, total births, peak decade, and historical trends from Social Security Administration data.

Name A

James

Boy name · Rank #5

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Name B

Jennifer

Girl name · Rank #546

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Which name is more popular?

Metric James Jennifer
Current Rank #5 #546
Total Births (all years) 5,238,570 1,471,191
Peak Year 1947 1972
Peak Year Births 94,763 63,602
Peak Decade 1950ss 1970ss
Gender Boy Girl
First Recorded Year 1880 1919

Births by Decade

Decade James Jennifer
1880ss 54,056 —
1890ss 50,723 —
1900ss 62,170 —
1910ss 275,070 6
1920ss 515,302 86
1930ss 547,478 368
1940ss 795,767 10,685
1950ss 843,776 43,074
1960ss 684,721 164,414
1970ss 444,749 581,733
1980ss 356,498 440,916
1990ss 244,962 148,036
2000ss 163,172 63,506
2010ss 139,652 15,251
2020ss 60,474 3,116

Recent Annual Births (2014–present)

Year James Jennifer
2014 14,462 1,521
2015 14,861 1,286
2016 14,916 1,162
2017 14,357 1,052
2018 13,642 921
2019 13,193 788
2020 12,381 712
2021 12,464 638
2022 12,109 630
2023 11,727 584
2024 11,793 552

Data Sources

Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications — National Data, ssa.gov/oact/babynames.
Source: SSA Annual Name Rankings, 1880–2024.

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