Name Rarity Checker / How rare is James
How Rare Is the Name James?
James is the single most recorded name in U.S. history. It ranks 1st of all time in U.S. records, with about 1 in 71 people sharing it, which puts it in the Very Common tier. It was most popular in the 1950s. Here is the full picture, decade by decade, plus a card you can save and share.
- Rarity
- 1 in 71
- Tier
- Very Common
- U.S. rank
- 1st
- Share of people
- 1.4%
- People named
- 5,262,396
- Most popular
- the 1950s
Based on U.S. births recorded by the Social Security Administration, 1880 to 2024. Figures describe recorded names, not people alive today.
About the name James
James comes from the Hebrew Jacob by way of Latin Iacomus, which softened into James in English. It has never left the American top 20 since record-keeping began in 1880, carried along by six presidents and the King James Bible.
Want to check a different name? Try the Name Rarity Checker. First names are only half the picture: the surname rarity checker runs the same math on last names, using the Census surname file.
Frequently asked questions
- How rare is the name James?
- James is in the Very Common tier. About 1 in 71 people share it, which is 1.4% of all recorded U.S. names, and it ranks 1st of all time. In total 5,262,396 Americans have been given the name since 1880.
- Is James a rare name?
- No. James is a well-known name rather than a rare one. It is in the Very Common tier, ranked 1st of all time, with about 1 in 71 people sharing it.
- How common is the name James?
- About 1 in 71 people in U.S. records share the name James, which is 1.4% of all recorded names and 1st of all time. That places it in the Very Common tier.
- Is James a boy or girl name?
- In the records, James is given almost entirely to boys. Of 5,262,396 people with the name, 23,826 were girls and 5,238,570 were boys.
- When was the name James most popular?
- James peaked in the 1950s. The bars on the card show its popularity for every decade from 1880 to 2024.