James vs Mary

Side-by-side comparison of James and Mary — 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

Mary

Girl name · Rank #132

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Which name is more popular?

Metric James Mary
Current Rank #5 #132
Total Births (all years) 5,238,570 4,139,160
Peak Year 1947 1921
Peak Year Births 94,763 73,984
Peak Decade 1950ss 1920ss
Gender Boy Girl
First Recorded Year 1880 1880

Births by Decade

Decade James Mary
1880ss 54,056 91,668
1890ss 50,723 131,138
1900ss 62,170 161,504
1910ss 275,070 478,636
1920ss 515,302 701,756
1930ss 547,478 572,997
1940ss 795,767 640,070
1950ss 843,776 625,609
1960ss 684,721 355,238
1970ss 444,749 126,254
1980ss 356,498 95,862
1990ss 244,962 75,713
2000ss 163,172 46,310
2010ss 139,652 25,683
2020ss 60,474 10,722

Recent Annual Births (2014–present)

Year James Mary
2014 14,462 2,636
2015 14,861 2,642
2016 14,916 2,526
2017 14,357 2,424
2018 13,642 2,369
2019 13,193 2,239
2020 12,381 2,229
2021 12,464 2,100
2022 12,109 2,116
2023 11,727 2,081
2024 11,793 2,196

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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