Boys' name · since 1880
James
James has 5,250,638 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1947 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #1 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #6 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 5,250,638
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
Yes -- James is the #6 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 5,250,638 recorded since 1880.
Social Security Administration records show James recorded 5,250,638 times among boys since 1880, holding rank #6 nationally today, ahead of 99.9% of boys, peaking in the 1950s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #1 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #6 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 5,250,638 born since 1880
- 1950s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, James ranks #1 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #6 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 5,250,638 born since 1880, peaking in the 1950s.
- #1 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #6 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 5,250,638
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
James's 5,250,638 recorded births place it above 99.99% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by New York.
How James compares
5,250,638 Top 1% higher than 99% of 13,930 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
James's all-time total is 14,229x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | James | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 5,250,638 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 94,767 | 34 | 22,252 |
James's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting James's full recorded timeline at 1953, 51% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 49% in the earlier half -- a fairly even split across the full record. Its quietest year on record was 1891, with just 4,516 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1947 peak of 94,767 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
James popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1947)
- 94,767
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
James popularity over time - girls
23,882 total births recorded since 1880 (James as girls' name)
James by decade
1950s is the heaviest window (843,768 births, 16% of the file).
1950s was James's strongest decade.
843,768 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 16% of all-time use.
James births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 54,055
1880s
54,055 births
- 1890s 50,723
1890s
50,723 births
- 1900s 62,170
1900s
62,170 births
- 1910s 275,070
1910s
275,070 births
- 1920s
1920s
515,301 births
- 1930s
1930s
547,479 births
- 1940s
1940s
795,775 births
- 1950s
1950s
843,768 births
- 1960s
1960s
684,722 births
- 1970s
1970s
444,713 births
- 1980s
1980s
356,491 births
- 1990s 244,980
1990s
244,980 births
- 2000s 163,179
2000s
163,179 births
- 2010s 139,689
2010s
139,689 births
- 2020s 72,523
2020s
72,523 births
What this shows Peak: 1950s at 843,768 births (16% of all-time use).
How James compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to James's total volume
James by state
Where James concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 348,452 | 6.6% |
| #2 | Pennsylvania | | 305,924 | 5.8% |
| #3 | California | | 288,257 | 5.5% |
| #4 | Texas | | 284,797 | 5.4% |
| #5 | Ohio | | 263,196 | 5.0% |
| #6 | Illinois | | 254,727 | 4.9% |
| #7 | North Carolina | | 212,379 | 4.0% |
| #8 | Michigan | | 189,909 | 3.6% |
348,452 of 5,250,638 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
James appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name James? ▼
Where does James sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was James most popular? ▼
Where is James most popular? ▼
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What to do with James's data
- James's decade-level peak was the 1950s (843,768 total births); usage has since declined to 72,523 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Jamess (348,452 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring James
Nearby Names Like James
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to James
Compare James side by side: James vs Jamie James vs Jameson James vs Jamal
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to James
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for James: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1947)
Similar record span (~145 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for James draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.