James
US babies given the name, 1880–2025, from SSA records
In 2025, 11,945 boys were named James: #6 among boys' names that year. The most boys in one year was 94,767, in 1947.
Babies named James each year
Both lines are drawn because the SSA files list James for girls and for boys; they share one scale, so the smaller line can sit close to the floor. A break in a line is a year under the SSA's 5-birth floor, not a drop to zero.
Boys 11,945Rank: boys #6, girls #2,873
Boys 1947: 94,767The single year with the most babies of that sex
Boys #1 in 1940Earliest year it reached that rank
Boys 146 of 146Years with 5 or more babies of that sex
Every year: babies and rank
| Year | Girls | Rank | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 59 | #2,873 | 11,945 | #6 |
| 2024 | 68 | #2,594 | 11,856 | #5 |
| 2023 | 79 | #2,325 | 11,739 | #4 |
| 2022 | 85 | #2,217 | 12,119 | #4 |
| 2021 | 68 | #2,569 | 12,474 | #5 |
| 2020 | 66 | #2,583 | 12,390 | #6 |
| 2019 | 68 | #2,576 | 13,198 | #6 |
| 2018 | 45 | #3,459 | 13,650 | #4 |
| 2017 | 77 | #2,368 | 14,362 | #4 |
| 2016 | 67 | #2,629 | 14,920 | #5 |
| 2015 | 39 | #3,879 | 14,865 | #7 |
| 2014 | 42 | #3,680 | 14,464 | #9 |
| 2013 | 28 | #4,945 | 13,596 | #13 |
| 2012 | 28 | #5,021 | 13,458 | #14 |
| 2011 | 30 | #4,733 | 13,275 | #17 |
| 2010 | 30 | #4,788 | 13,901 | #19 |
| 2009 | 51 | #3,266 | 14,223 | #18 |
| 2008 | 32 | #4,694 | 15,190 | #17 |
| 2007 | 33 | #4,511 | 15,973 | #15 |
| 2006 | 46 | #3,480 | 16,255 | #16 |
| 2005 | 26 | #5,013 | 16,140 | #17 |
| 2004 | 95 | #1,965 | 16,469 | #18 |
| 2003 | 34 | #3,977 | 16,896 | #18 |
| 2002 | 31 | #4,115 | 16,968 | #18 |
| 2001 | 42 | #3,274 | 17,074 | #19 |
| 2000 | 40 | #3,360 | 17,991 | #18 |
| 1999 | 40 | #3,207 | 18,555 | #19 |
| 1998 | 45 | #2,902 | 19,690 | #18 |
| 1997 | 42 | #2,897 | 20,408 | #17 |
| 1996 | 62 | #2,187 | 21,165 | #17 |
| 1995 | 57 | #2,317 | 22,739 | #17 |
| 1994 | 67 | #2,069 | 24,778 | #14 |
| 1993 | 75 | #1,889 | 26,259 | #14 |
| 1992 | 70 | #1,969 | 28,513 | #9 |
| 1991 | 95 | #1,601 | 30,514 | #7 |
| 1990 | 115 | #1,375 | 32,359 | #8 |
| 1989 | 176 | #982 | 32,720 | #9 |
| 1988 | 244 | #767 | 32,523 | #9 |
| 1987 | 246 | #735 | 32,659 | #8 |
| 1986 | 273 | #674 | 34,057 | #7 |
| 1985 | 287 | #644 | 35,862 | #7 |
| 1984 | 238 | #699 | 35,859 | #7 |
| 1983 | 282 | #618 | 36,342 | #6 |
| 1982 | 317 | #578 | 38,874 | #6 |
| 1981 | 272 | #651 | 38,283 | #7 |
| 1980 | 271 | #663 | 39,312 | #5 |
| 1979 | 261 | #667 | 39,351 | #5 |
| 1978 | 269 | #625 | 39,894 | #5 |
| 1977 | 273 | #617 | 40,040 | #5 |
| 1976 | 252 | #620 | 38,294 | #5 |
| 1975 | 254 | #621 | 39,569 | #4 |
| 1974 | 250 | #623 | 41,334 | #5 |
| 1973 | 316 | #532 | 42,836 | #4 |
| 1972 | 300 | #556 | 47,063 | #3 |
| 1971 | 302 | #579 | 54,597 | #2 |
| 1970 | 353 | #537 | 61,735 | #2 |
| 1969 | 329 | #545 | 59,886 | #3 |
| 1968 | 312 | #548 | 60,665 | #4 |
| 1967 | 310 | #534 | 61,683 | #3 |
| 1966 | 298 | #548 | 65,163 | #3 |
| 1965 | 303 | #544 | 67,666 | #4 |
| 1964 | 318 | #555 | 73,026 | #4 |
| 1963 | 311 | #548 | 71,294 | #4 |
| 1962 | 262 | #621 | 72,555 | #4 |
| 1961 | 282 | #600 | 75,969 | #4 |
| 1960 | 291 | #578 | 76,815 | #3 |
| 1959 | 294 | #574 | 78,648 | #3 |
| 1958 | 252 | #621 | 78,774 | #3 |
| 1957 | 279 | #578 | 84,337 | #2 |
| 1956 | 248 | #608 | 84,897 | #2 |
| 1955 | 243 | #591 | 84,186 | #3 |
| 1954 | 225 | #605 | 86,311 | #3 |
| 1953 | 236 | #574 | 86,066 | #2 |
| 1952 | 258 | #529 | 87,065 | #1 |
| 1951 | 256 | #517 | 87,256 | #1 |
| 1950 | 252 | #515 | 86,228 | #1 |
| 1949 | 257 | #506 | 86,858 | #1 |
| 1948 | 251 | #522 | 88,605 | #1 |
| 1947 | 257 | #516 | 94,767 | #1 |
| 1946 | 250 | #493 | 87,438 | #1 |
| 1945 | 247 | #454 | 74,464 | #1 |
| 1944 | 237 | #468 | 76,951 | #1 |
| 1943 | 272 | #453 | 80,278 | #1 |
| 1942 | 280 | #433 | 77,182 | #1 |
| 1941 | 256 | #428 | 66,751 | #1 |
| 1940 | 259 | #424 | 62,481 | #1 |
| 1939 | 268 | #412 | 59,636 | #2 |
| 1938 | 275 | #402 | 59,102 | #2 |
| 1937 | 251 | #409 | 56,561 | #2 |
| 1936 | 229 | #428 | 54,694 | #2 |
| 1935 | 238 | #422 | 55,005 | #2 |
| 1934 | 262 | #403 | 54,270 | #2 |
| 1933 | 299 | #368 | 51,112 | #2 |
| 1932 | 320 | #355 | 51,930 | #2 |
| 1931 | 345 | #344 | 51,212 | #2 |
| 1930 | 419 | #323 | 53,957 | #2 |
| 1929 | 397 | #325 | 52,135 | #2 |
| 1928 | 427 | #319 | 52,752 | #3 |
| 1927 | 390 | #338 | 53,674 | #3 |
| 1926 | 358 | #353 | 53,196 | #3 |
| 1925 | 365 | #357 | 52,680 | #4 |
| 1924 | 274 | #425 | 52,942 | #4 |
| 1923 | 280 | #401 | 50,462 | #4 |
| 1922 | 239 | #430 | 49,802 | #4 |
| 1921 | 231 | #455 | 49,750 | #4 |
| 1920 | 249 | #424 | 47,908 | #4 |
| 1919 | 192 | #482 | 42,392 | #3 |
| 1918 | 212 | #459 | 42,115 | #3 |
| 1917 | 182 | #486 | 37,337 | #3 |
| 1916 | 166 | #508 | 35,569 | #3 |
| 1915 | 155 | #495 | 33,773 | #3 |
| 1914 | 107 | #545 | 26,262 | #3 |
| 1913 | 95 | #524 | 20,832 | #3 |
| 1912 | 81 | #545 | 17,644 | #3 |
| 1911 | 69 | #498 | 9,952 | #3 |
| 1910 | 63 | #518 | 9,194 | #2 |
| 1909 | 52 | #525 | 7,595 | #3 |
| 1908 | 32 | #684 | 7,012 | #3 |
| 1907 | 45 | #540 | 6,707 | #3 |
| 1906 | 37 | #582 | 5,908 | #3 |
| 1905 | 35 | #590 | 6,042 | #3 |
| 1904 | 27 | #675 | 5,855 | #3 |
| 1903 | 28 | #636 | 5,479 | #3 |
| 1902 | 30 | #607 | 5,592 | #3 |
| 1901 | 30 | #567 | 4,735 | #3 |
| 1900 | 41 | #526 | 7,245 | #3 |
| 1899 | 27 | #600 | 4,597 | #3 |
| 1898 | 29 | #601 | 5,321 | #3 |
| 1897 | 30 | #543 | 5,113 | #3 |
| 1896 | 28 | #587 | 5,206 | #3 |
| 1895 | 34 | #506 | 5,335 | #3 |
| 1894 | 25 | #588 | 5,110 | #3 |
| 1893 | 23 | #607 | 5,030 | #3 |
| 1892 | 22 | #605 | 5,398 | #3 |
| 1891 | 31 | #464 | 4,516 | #3 |
| 1890 | 33 | #452 | 5,097 | #3 |
| 1889 | 26 | #492 | 5,020 | #3 |
| 1888 | 45 | #359 | 5,562 | #3 |
| 1887 | 19 | #518 | 4,767 | #3 |
| 1886 | 29 | #403 | 5,355 | #3 |
| 1885 | 26 | #408 | 5,175 | #3 |
| 1884 | 33 | #343 | 5,693 | #3 |
| 1883 | 25 | #367 | 5,223 | #3 |
| 1882 | 18 | #438 | 5,892 | #3 |
| 1881 | 24 | #330 | 5,441 | #3 |
| 1880 | 22 | #344 | 5,927 | #3 |
Rank among all names of that sex in that year, by the SSA's rule. “under 5 or none” is a year the SSA file does not list: fewer than 5 babies of that sex, possibly none.
Rank in each decade
| Decade | Girls | Boys |
|---|---|---|
| 2020–2025 (so far) | #2,502 | #4 |
| 2010s | #3,507 | #9 |
| 2000s | #3,491 | #17 |
| 1990s | #2,123 | #13 |
| 1980s | #695 | #6 |
| 1970s | #597 | #5 |
| 1960s | #565 | #4 |
| 1950s | #572 | #1 |
| 1940s | #474 | #1 |
| 1930s | #380 | #2 |
| 1920s | #379 | #3 |
| 1910s | #498 | #3 |
| 1900s | #587 | #3 |
| 1890s | #539 | #3 |
| 1880s | #398 | #3 |
Rank among all names of that sex by births summed over the decade.
Years under the floor
Girls: listed in every year, 1880–2025.
Boys: listed in every year, 1880–2025.
Compare James with another name — up to four names on one chart, with the year one passed another.
Look up another name
About this page
Why this name has its own page
These pages are the 9 girls' and 9 boys' names given to the most babies in 2025, the newest year in the SSA file this site is built from. The build picks them from that year's file each time it runs — most births first, ties in alphabetical order, the SSA's own ranking rule — so a new SSA year can change the list. All 18 are on the list of name pages; any other name is on the front page lookup.
Girls, 2025
Where every number comes from
US Social Security Administration, "Beyond the Top 1000 Names" national data (names.zip): one text file per year of birth, 1880 to 2025, each line a name, a sex and a number of babies. The SSA address is www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/names.zip; ssa.gov refuses requests from this site's build server, so the file was taken from the Internet Archive's copy of that address, captured 2026-09-28 (14:33 UTC) and fetched 2026-09-30: web.archive.org/web/20260928143357id_/www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/names.zip. SHA-256 cd78e975ed7bb358e018dd62fbe14ced89295e9581c49172ca4eedcb011b3724.
The SSA lists a name for a sex in a year only when at least 5 babies got it, so every total here adds up the listed years only and is a floor on the true number. The file covers people with a Social Security number, so early decades count people who applied for one later in life. Spellings are separate names: this page counts “James” exactly as spelled.