James
James Origin and Meaning
James is one of the classic Anglo-Saxon names, a stalwart through the ages that is more popular—and yes, stylish—than ever today. It recently came out Number 1 in a poll of America's favorite boys' baby names, and is the most common male name, counting people of all ages, in the US.
James, which reentered the Top 5 in 2016, is a current favorite among fashionable parents looking for a baby name that has both style and substance. Like Henry and Theodore, it manages to combine these two stellar qualities.
An English derivation of the Hebrew name Jacob, James is biblical (the name of two apostles in the New Testament), royal (kings of both England and Scotland), and presidential (with more U.S. Chief Executives -- six -- than any other name). The name James is also shared by countless great writers and entertainers.
There are fewer Jimmys, Jimbos or even Jamies these days; the most fashionable form of the name is James itself. Several stylish celebrities have chosen it in recent years for their sons, including Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick, Liz Phair, Colin Farrell and Isaac Hanson. Brendan Fehr thought out of the box and named his daughter James, which has now become a fashionable middle names for baby girls..
James has some interesting foreign variations: Diego and Jaime (Spanish), Jacques (French), Giacomo (Italian), Hamish (Scottish), Jaako (Finnish), Seamus (Irish), Jaap (Dutch) and Jago (Cornish).
Along with being one of the most popular first names in the US, James is also one of the most common American last names .
- James Rank in US Top 1000
- James Rank in Nameberry Top 1000
- Names Similar to James
- Famous People Named James
- James in Pop Culture
- James in Nameberry Blog Posts
James Rank in US Top 1000
James Rank in Nameberry Top 1000
James Popularity
- 4US2023
- 20Nameberry2024
- 11Canada2022
- 15Future2028
- 34England2022
- 12Scotland2023
- 3Ireland2023
- 16Australia2023
- 15New Zealand2023
- 311Germany2016
- 10Netherlands2023
- 82Belgium2023
- 81Switzerland2023
20 Names Similar to James
Famous People Named James
- Saint James the Justbrother of Jesus, first bishop of Jerusalem
- Saint James the Apostleson of Zebedee, brother of John the Apostle
- James IV, Kings of Scotland
- James I and VI and James II and VIIKings of England and Scotland
- James I and IIKings of Aragon
- James IIIV, Kings of Majorca
- James MadisonJr., 4th U.S. president
- James Monroe5th U.S. president
- James Knox Polk11th U.S. president
- James BuchananJr., 15th U.S. president
- James Abram Garfield20th U.S. president
- James Earl "Jimmy" CarterJr., 39th U.S. president
- James ConnollyIrish revolutionary leader, signatory and labor leader
- James LarkinIrish revolutionary leader and labor leader
- James Byron DeanAmerican actor
- James Joseph BrownAmerican singer
- James Eugene "Jim" CarreyCanadian actor
- James Maitland "Jimmy" StewartAmerican actor
- James Patrick "Jimmy" PageEnglish musician of band Led Zeppelin
- James TaylorAmerican singer,songwriter
- James Earl JonesAmerican actor
- James Todd Smith aka LL Cool JAmerican rapper and actor
- James Byron CaseyAmerican football player
- James CordenEnglish comedian and TV host
- James Child DruryJr., American actor
- James Edward FrancoAmerican actor
- James Hillier BluntEnglish singer,songwriter
- James Robert "Jim Bob" DuggarTV personality
- James Thomas "Jimmy" FallonAmerican actor/comedian
- James FeigenAmerican swimmer
- James George FrazerScottish anthropologist
- James GarnerAmerican actor
- James "Jimi" HendrixAmerican singer
- James Maury "Jim" HensonAmerican puppeteer
- James Augustine Aloysius JoyceIrish novelist and poet
- James Harvey "Jamie" KennedyAmerican actor/comedian
- James Martin LaffertyAmerican actor
- James Hiroyuki LiaoAmerican actor
- James MagnussenAustralian swimmer
- James MarloweAmerican actor and singer
- James Paul MarsdenAmerican actor
- James MarstersAmerican actor
- James David MaslowAmerican actor and singer
- James Clerk MaxwellScottish mathematical physicist
- James Andrew McAvoyScottish actor
- James Daniel McVeylead guitarist for The Vamps
- James MorrisonEnglish singer
- James "Murr" Murraycomedian from TV's Impractical Jokers
- James RainwaterAmerican physicist and Nobel prize winner
- James Rightonmember of the British band, Klaxons
- James RobertsAustralian swimmer
- James RollinsAmerican Author
- James David Van Der BeekAmerican actor
- James WolfeBritish war hero
- (James) Paul McCartneyEnglish musician of The Beatles
- James William AcasterBritish comedian
- James David "Roady" RodriguezAmerican actor
- James Andrew Eric PhelpsEnglish actor
- James Anthony YammouniYoutube comedian
- James A. LovellJr., American astronaut
- James A. McDivittAmerican astronaut
- James FitzjamesBritish Royal Navy officer
- James Joseph "Jim" ParsonsAmerican actor
- James Elliot BourneBritish musician of band Busted
- James Alfred "Jim" ChapmanBritish vlogger
- James PerryAmerican actor in YouTube sketch comedy show Studio C
- James Francis "Jim" CameronCanadian filmmaker, director, and producer
- James Metcalfe "Jamie" Campbell BowerEnglish actor, singer, and model
- James Ma (born James Assarasakorn)Thai actor and model
- James KowatsAmerican executive producer
- James MilnerEnglish professional footballer
- James "UberHaxorNova" WilsonYouTube personality
- James Charles DickinsonYouTube personality
- James TurnerYouTuber
- James Leonard Gillette (b.1997)son of Lita Ford and Jim Gillette of Nitro
- James Andrew Duggar (b. 2001)13th child of reality TV's Duggar family
- James Wilkie Broderick (b. 2002)son of actors Matthew Broderick & Sarah Jessica Parker
- James Alexander Philip Theo MountbattenWindsor, Viscount Severn (b. 2007); son of Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex; grandson of Queen Elizabeth II
- James Monroe Hanson (b. 2008)son of American musician Isaac Hanson
- James Hoke Dorough (b. 2009)son of singer Howie Dorough of the Backstreet Boys
- James Joseph Cavanagh (b. 2009)son of Canadian actor Tom Cavanagh
- James Timothy Pudi (b. 2012)son of actor Danny Pudi
- James Knight Newman (b. 2013)son of actress and model Jaime King
- James Hamilton McDonough (b. 2014)son of actor Neal McDonough
- James Jeffrey Dunham (b. 2015)son of comedian Jeff Dunham
- James Arthur WalkerIV (b. 2016), son of American news correspondent Brooke Anderson
- Jamin James Pastore (b.2017)son of Natalie Pasquarella and Jamin Pastore
- James Andrew Glennon (b. 2018)son of American reality television personality Amber Portwood, half,brother to Leah Leann
- James Holt Joblon (b. 2019)son of Claire Holt and Andrew Joblon.
- James Hunter Baileyson of Devon Aoki and James Bailey.
- James Francis Cagney Jr.American actor
James in Pop Culture
- James Bond007, spy character created by Ian Fleming
- James Tiberius Kirkcaptain in the Star Trek series
- James 'Jim' Hawkinsmain character in RL Stevenson's Treasure Island and Disney's Treasure Planet
- James Isaac "Jimmy" Neutronmain character in Jimmy Neutron : Boy Genius
- James Conradcharacter in "King Kong" series
- "James & the Giant Peach" novel by Roald Dahl, movie and main character
- James "Prongs" Potterfather of Harry James Potter in the Harry Potter series
- James Sirius Potterson of Harry James Potter in the Harry Potter series
- James "Jem" Carstairscharacter in Cassandra Clare's Infernal Devices series
- James "Jim" Moriartynemesis in the Sherlock Holmes series
- James "Rhodey" Rhodescharacter in Marvel Universe
- James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnescharacter in Marvel Universe
- James "Logan" Howlettalso known as Wolverine, character in Marvel Universe
- James "Sawyer" Fordcharacter on TV series "Lost"
- James "Jim" Paxtoncharacter in Marvel Universe
- James Griffinthe MFE pilot in Voltron: Legendary Defender
- James Sunderlandmain character in the video game "Silent Hill 2"
- James Learycharacter in video game "The Sims 3: Moonlight Bay"
- James Diamondcharacter on TV's "Big Time Rush"
- Jamescharacter in the Twilight series
- James "Jimmy" Kentcharacter on TV's "Downton Abbey"
- Jamesmain character in viral short film "One,Minute Time Machine" (2014)
- James Trivettecharacter on TV's "Walker, Texas Ranger"
- Jamesmember of Team Rocket in the Pokemon series
- James Duncan "Jim" Halpertcharacter on TV's "The Office"
- James Lucas "Jamie" Scottcharacter on TV's "One Tree Hill"
- Jamesa train on TV's "Thomas & Friends"
- James "Wilke" Wilkerson IIICharacter on TV's "Switched at Birth"
- James Whitlockcharacter in the Mindbender series by Veronica Slemp
- James Starkcharacter in the 'House of Night' series by PC Cast
- James Gatzbirth name of Jay Gatsby in F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby"
- James Byrdpenguin in "Spyro the Dragon" video games
- James Walshammain character in G. A. Henty's, With Wolfe in Canada
- James Herondalemain character in Cassandra Clare's "The Last Hours"
- James 'Iggy' Griffithscharacter in the Maximum Ride novels
- Jamescharacter in video game "Fallout 3"
- James Yewbeamcharacter in Jenny Nimmo's "The Children of the Red King" series
- James Morgan "Jimmy" McGillreal name of Saul Goodman, character on TV's 'Breaking Bad' and 'Better Call Saul'
- James Dennetcharacter in Mary Kubica's novel "The Good Girl"
- James "Jimmy" Palmercharacter on TV's "NCIS"
- James Evan Wilsoncharacter on TV's "House M.D."
- James "Jim" Brasscharacter on TV's "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation"
- James Rookcharacter in webcomic "Hotblood!"
- James Bartholomew "Jimmy" Olsencharacter in DC Universe
- James Jacob "Jim" Harperalso known as Guardian, character in DC Universe
- James Jessealso known as Trickster, character in DC Universe
- James Gordon Sr. and James Gordon Jr.characters in DC Universe
- James Bennet(t) Sr. and James Bennet(t) Jr.characters in DC Universe
- James Keziah DelaneyTom Hardy's character in Taboo (TV Series)
- James "Jim" Lake Jr.character in DreamWorks Trollhunters
- James Vanderboomcharacter in Rusty Lake: Roots
- James Ratri aka William Minervacharacter in the manga/anime series "The Promised Neverland"
James in Nameberry Blog Posts
- Place Name Picks: State your State favorites
- The Nameberry Nine: Embracing the Modern
- Modern Takes on Ancient Greek Names
- Vintage Baby Names
- Classic Baby Names on the Rise
- Princess Beatrice's Baby Names: The Name Guru to the Stars Places Her Bets
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- British Names: the Ultimate Guide
- How to Make Classic Boy Names Unique
- Capricorn Baby Names Are the Greatest of All Time
- Name Sage: Choosing Classic Names for Boy-Girl Twins
- Great Nicknames Shorten Classic Favorites
- Authors Get to Name Everyone!
- The Biggest Baby Name Trends of the Year
- Top Baby Names 2023: The Playground Analysis
- Literary Names: Great American Novel namesakes 101
- I Named My Son Liam Before It Got Popular
- Children’s Book Names
- Rare Boys’ Names of the 1940s
- Celebrity Baby Names of January: Cypress Night and Freddie Reign
- Ancient Baby Names
- Top Baby Names by Letter Through the Ages
- Rare Girls’ Names of the 1940s: Avis, Marigold and Jinx
- Hawaiian Names: The Ultimate Guide
- The Top Cornish Names in Cornwall
- Are You Thinking of Renaming Yourself?
- Babyberry Births in September
- Initial Names: From AJ to Zee
- Backwards Names Have Hidden Meaning
- 10 Favorite Colonial Names for Today
- In Defense of Emma and Ethan: Ten Good Reasons to use a Common Name
- How I Named My Baby: Esme Virginia
- Celebrity Baby Name Tattoos
- Spring Babyberries Have Sprung!
- 12 Surprising Risings: Cindy? Bruce?
- Can a Name Be Plain and Fancy?
- 100 Best Sci-Fi Names for Children
- Top Baby Names 2021: The Playground Analysis
- How to Name a Large Family
- Anne of Green Gables Names: Cordelia, Blythe and Jem
- Top Baby Name Influencers 2023
- Unique Middle Names You Didn't Even Know Were Names
- How I Named My Baby: Penny Mae
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- Tudor Names Are Rich in History
- Baby Names 2012: The third quarterly report of Nameberry newbies
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- 150+ English Names
- The Top Baby Names A-Z
- Great Expectations: Newest Celebrity Predictions
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- 80+ Woodsy Names for Boys That Will Make You Want to Have a Son
- 1950s Boys’ Names: Where are they now?
- 100 Most Common Last Names in the US
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- 100+ Unique Unisex Middle Names
- Sibling Names: The Ultimate Guide
- How I Named My Baby: Willamina Joy
- Celebrity Twin Names
- Baby Name Etta-quette
- UK vs US Popular Baby Names
- The Anglo-American Baby Name Divide
- Great Alternatives to the Top Boy Names
- Active Verb Baby Names for Leap Year Babies
- Traditional Boy Names: The Ultimate Guide
- March Baby Names Let The Sunshine In!
- Popular Twin Names
- Nicknames: Waltzing with Tilda and Tilly
- Celebrity Dog Names
- How I Named My Baby: Bear Anthony
- Name Sage: Girl Names Tied to Symbols
- 100+ New Nameberry Names for 2022
- Dad Names: Is Yours On The List?
- Unusual Bible Names Feel Fresh Again
- Top Names in Each State Revealed!
- African-American Artist Names
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- The Fran Clan: Frances, Francesca and Frankie Return
- Vintage Girl Names: 9 Fresh Ideas
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- What Were The Hottest Sounds of 2023?
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- Unique Vintage Boy Names: Roscoe, Cosmo & Clive
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- Taylor Swift-Inspired Baby Names
- 25 Stylish-yet-Unusual Boys’ Names
- April Celebrity Baby Names
- Baby Names Ending in R
- The Baby Name Class of 1915
- Top 100 Boy Names of 2014
- He’s a Gem: Boys’ names Onyx, Jasper, and Jet
- One-Syllable Middle Names
- Vintage Boys’ Names: 9 choices ready for a comeback
- October Babyberry Births: Two Margots & Two Judes
- 12 Literary Ladies: Unique names from Abra to Sapphira
- Six Spooky Doll Names for Halloween
- Scottish Boys’ Names: Fresh choices beyond Keith and Kyle
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- 80s Movie Names: Favorite names from favorite childhood flicks
- Vampire Names Bite Back!
- August Babyberries: Singlets, Triplets and Twins
- Steampunk Baby Names: Victorian tech
- Double First Names: Mary Ann and Peggy Sue
- Newest Babyberries Ring in the Year
- Literary Namesakes: Last names first
- The Trendy ‘ett’ Boys–from Beckett to Bennett to Jett
- June Babyberries: Wow! 4 sets of twins!
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- Invented Names Past and Present: From Vanessa to Iridessa
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- Playground Analysis: The REAL Top 50 Names
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- Boys’ Names 2012: Nameberry’s Top 100
- 9 Terrific Baby Names Starting with T
- Girl Detective Names: Trixie, Theolinda, Thursday and Tuppence
- Let’s hear it for Auntie Name!
- Literary Names: Fitzgerald names beyond the great Gatsby
- The Florodora Girls: Cora, Dora, Flora & Nora
- Baby Names of 1912: Hester, Chester & Sylvester
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- Techie Baby Names: Do they compute?
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- Independence Day names: Born on the 4th of July
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- Poetic Baby Names: Lyrical choices for National Poetry Month
- Earth Day Names: Green names to celebrate the bounties of nature
- Jane Austen Names
- Black History Names: Cultural heroines of the Harlem Renaissance
- Scottish Baby Names: What’s ‘in’ in Inverness?
- Irish Names Now: What’s doing in Dublin?
- Middle Names: The Strange, The Ordinary, and The Embarrassing
- U Name It: Utterly unusual, unique and underused ‘U’ names
- Famous Dad Names: Noteworthy Names of Some Famous Fathers
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- Top Baby Names 2020….so far
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