Masterpiece Generator Name Generator
How popular is the name James?
Births per year, rank history and how many Jameses are alive today.
James (male) is currently the 40th most popular boys' name in England and Wales, with 1,252 babies given the name in 2024. The name peaked in 1904, when around 19,700 babies were given the name, the 6th most popular that year. It has stayed in the top 100 in every recorded period since 1904, making it one of the most consistent boys' names on record. Numbers have been falling in recent years. At least 250,000 babies have been named James in England and Wales since 1904. Figures before 1996 are estimates. Common short forms of James include Jamie and Jimmy.
The James you are most likely to meet is around 41 years old. Half of all Jameses born in England and Wales are between 32 and 61, and there are at least 610,000 of them alive today. If you walk into a room of 100 males, there's roughly a 87% chance that at least one of them will be called James.
How many babies are named James each year?
Where does James rank among boys' names?
Where this data comes from
Figures from 1996 onwards are the Office for National Statistics' annual baby-name registrations for England and Wales, which record every name given to three or more babies in a year. Figures before 1996 are estimates: the ONS published only top-100 rankings at ten-year intervals back to 1904, so counts for those years are modelled from the rankings, calibrated against Douglas Galbi's long-run research into English name frequencies, and shown with an uncertainty band. Estimates of living bearers combine these birth figures with national life tables and ONS mid-year population estimates.
One limit worth naming: these figures count names as registered at birth. Anyone who changes their name later in life - including trans people, and anyone who adopts a different name by deed poll or simply by use - is not reflected here. Birth registrations record where a name began, not the name a person lives with.
Common questions
When was the name James most popular?
James peaked in 1904, when around 19,700 babies in England and Wales were given the name.
How many people are called James?
At least 610,000 people named James born in England and Wales are alive today.
How old is the typical James?
Most living Jameses are between 32 and 61; the most common age is about 41.
Is James becoming more or less popular?
Remarkably steady: it has stayed in the top 100 throughout the records.