Masterpiece Generator Name Generator
How popular is the name Jim?
Births per year, rank history and how many Jims are alive today.
Jim (male) is a shortened form of the name James (and sometimes of Jamie). Although Jim itself was given to 11 babies in England and Wales in 2025 (ranked 2133rd as a registered name), most Jims are registered as James, which ranked 42nd in 2025 with 1,211 babies.
Most people called Jim are registered as James, and share that name's profile: 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. Only some Jameses go by Jim.
How many babies are named Jim or James each year?
Combined registrations of James, Jim. Figures before 1996 are estimates.
Where does James rank as a registered name?
Where does Jim rank as a registered name?
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
Is Jim short for James?
Yes - Jim is a shortened form of James. It is also used for Jamie. Jims are usually registered as James at birth.
When was the name Jim most popular?
The full name James peaked in 1904, when around 19,700 babies in England and Wales were given the name. Jim itself peaked as a registered name in 1996, with 23 babies.
How many people are called Jim?
There's no official count of people who go by Jim, because it's a nickname rather than a registered name. What we can say: at least 610,000 people registered as James born in England and Wales are alive today, and some of them go by Jim.
How old is the typical Jim?
Most people called Jim are registered as James. Most living Jameses are between 32 and 61; the most common age is about 41.
Is Jim becoming more or less popular?
Declining: numbers have been falling in recent years.