Additional information: James originates from the Latin name Iacomus, which in turn comes from the Greek Ἰάκωβος (Iakobos), and the Greek name came from the Hebrew Ya’aqov – Jacob. The name means ‘supplanter’, and although it is traditionally a masculine name, some girls named Jamie use James as a nickname. Going from its root of Jacob, more feminine variants of James are Jacqueline, Jacqui, or Jackie. Nicknames for the name James include the aforementioned Jamie, Jim, Jimbo, Jimmy, or Jay. The name James has a lot of foreign language equivalents, some sounding more like ‘James’ and others sounding more like ‘Jacob’. A few examples of these are the Spanish Jaime, the Scottish Hamish, the Irish Seamus, the German Jakob and the Italian Giacobbe. Common misspellings of James are ‘Jame’, ‘Janes’, and ‘Jmaes’.
The name James has ranked in the top twenty given names for boys in the USA since popularity records for names began in 1880, and was the number one name for twelve consecutive years from 1940. In the UK James was the sixth most popular name for boys in 2006; it ranked 16th in the US in the same year. The popularity of the name James has fallen slightly since the start of the nineties, struggling to reach the top ten names for boys, but in 2014 it climbed back up to the ninth position. James is an equally popular name in other English speaking countries, and was in the top ten masculine names for England and Wales (climbing to the ninth most popular name in 2013), Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, and Scotland in 2014.
James has been the most popular name for presidents of the USA – six presidents in total – and there were two apostles of Jesus named James. Other celebrities with the name James are James Joyce (writer), King James I of England (who gave his name to the Bible translation), and James Cameron (director). Well known fictional characters named James are James Bond and James the Red Engine from Rev W Awdry’s Thomas the Tank Engine.
The first thing you should know if you are considering James for your baby's name is that in most countries all over the world the name James is a boy name.
The name James is of English origin, and is used in more than one countries and different languages of the world, especially English speaking countries, Hebrew speaking countries among others.
If you consider naming your baby James we recommend you take note of the special meaning and history of the name as your baby’s name will play a big role in its life and your baby will hear it spoken every day. Searching for a name is a very important and fun process as it’s the very first gift you will give to your baby. Many people believe that the name can affect success in life, through their children's working career and other circumstances, so they choose more “respectable” names or name meanings as they believe that the name meaning reflects the personality of the child.
James Name Meaning
The meaning of James is “Supplanter”. Keep in mind that many names may have different meanings in other countries and languages, so be careful that the name that you choose doesn’t mean something bad or unpleasant. Search comprehensively and find the name meaning of James and its name origin or of any other name in our database. Also note the spelling and the pronunciation of the name James and check the initials of the name with your last name to discover how it looks and sounds. The history and meaning of the name James is fascinating, learn more about it. (If you know more meanings of the name and you would like to contribute click here to submit another name meaning).
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Name James Categories
The name James is in the following categories: American Names, Australian Names, Biblical Names, British Names, Canadian Names, Christian Names, Classic Names, Cool Names, English Names, Hebrew Names, Jewish Names, Literary Characters Names, Middle Names, New Zealand Names, Popular Names, Saints Names, Twilight Names. (If you would like to suggest one or more categories for the name, click here). We have plenty of different baby name categories to search for special meanings plus popular and unique names, search our database before choosing but also note that baby name categories designed to help you and not to be an influential factor when choosing a name. Instead, we recommend that you pay a greater attention to the origin and meaning of the name James. Read our baby name articles for useful tips regarding baby names and naming your baby. If you are thinking of giving your baby the beautiful name James, spread the love and share this with your friends.
Popularity of the Name James
Below you will find the popularity of the baby name James displayed annually, from 1880 to the present day in our name popularity chart. Hover over or click on the dots that represent a year to see how many babies were given the name for that year, for both genders, if available.
James Boy Name Popularity Chart
James Girl Name Popularity Chart
Note:The data above is from the Social Security Administrator of United States, (more info here) from Social Security card applications for births in US for every name, from 1880 up to the present year. The gender associated with the name might be incorrect, as the data presents the record applications without being edited for errors. The name's popularity and ranking is announced annually, so the data for this year will not be available until next year. The more babies that are given a name, the higher popularity ranking the name receives. For names with the same popularity, the tie is solved by assigning popularity rank in alphabetical order. This means that if two or more names have the same popularity their rankings may differ significantly, as they are set in alphabetical order. If a name has less than five occurrences, the SSA excludes it from the provided data to protect privacy.
If you’re not sure yet, see our wide selection of both boy names and girl names all over the world to find the ideal name for your new born baby. We offer a comprehensive and meaningful list of popular names and cool names along with the name's origin, meaning, pronunciation, popularity and additional information.
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Do your research and choose a name wisely, kindly and selflessly.
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