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 #131

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Which name is more popular?

Metric James Mary
Current Rank #5 #131
Total Births (all years) 5,250,638 4,141,481
Peak Year 1947 1921
Peak Year Births 94,767 73,984
Peak Decade 1950s 1920s
Gender Boy Girl
First Recorded Year 1880 1880

Births by Decade

Decade James Mary
1880s 54,055 91,668
1890s 50,723 131,138
1900s 62,170 161,504
1910s 275,070 478,636
1920s 515,301 701,755
1930s 547,479 573,000
1940s 795,775 640,080
1950s 843,768 625,606
1960s 684,722 355,240
1970s 444,713 126,254
1980s 356,491 95,862
1990s 244,980 75,723
2000s 163,179 46,337
2010s 139,689 25,693
2020s 72,523 12,985

Recent Annual Births (2014–present)

Year James Mary
2014 14,464 2,637
2015 14,865 2,642
2016 14,920 2,526
2017 14,362 2,425
2018 13,650 2,369
2019 13,198 2,241
2020 12,390 2,230
2021 12,474 2,102
2022 12,119 2,119
2023 11,739 2,085
2024 11,856 2,219
2025 11,945 2,230

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, 1880–2025.

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