Names like James

In 2025, 11,945 boys born in the US were named James, #6 among boys' names.

It has been in the top 100 in every one of the 146 years on record.

Its best rank was #1, every year from 1940 to 1952.

The most births in one year were 94,767, in 1947.

Births fell 20% from 14,865 in 2015.

All 12 names below have also been in the top 1,000 every year since 1880.

James's rank every ten years

1. 1880
   #3
2. 1890
   #3
3. 1900
   #3
4. 1910
   #2
5. 1920
   #4
6. 1930
   #2
7. 1940
   #1
8. 1950
   #1
9. 1960
   #3
10. 1970
    #2
11. 1980
    #5
12. 1990
    #8
13. 2000
    #18
14. 2010
    #19
15. 2020
    #6
16. 2025
    #6

12 boy names with a similar curve

How this list was made

We compared James's rank in every year from 1880 to 2025 with every other boy's name in the 2025 top 1,000 (US Social Security birth records); the closest curves come first. Years outside the top 1,000 count the same however far outside, years since 1995 count four times as much, and each name appears in one spelling.